28 February 2024
With the area around Norden's sinkhold now showing significant signs of dipping I have been in contact with our Officers to ask that works be carried out as a matter of urgency. I have been informed that those works are iminent so I trust that this will address the dip and ramp which has been worsenting and reassure residents that have been contacting me and speculating on social media about the area.
16 February 2024
I, like many other residents have noticed that the area around the previous sinkhole has begun dipping again, indicating that there is some movement or settling which needs addressing, I have spoken to our Highways Team who are aware of the issue and are scheduling an inspection of the area to assess what rectification works need to be done.
2 September 2023
I am pleased to report that although there is an ongoing dispute between our Highways Team and United Utilities about the circumstances that have cause the sink hole to open, it has now been checked and backfilled and the roar resurfaced in time for the Tour of Britain cycle race to pass through Norden without any ill-effect.
22 August 2023
Many residents have contacted me regarding the sink hole which has opened on Edenfield Road and has, for the past few days, been coned off with traffic lights operating to keep traffic flowing through the remaining open lane. As Ward councillors we are being updated by the Council’s Highways team on progress, especially ahead for the Tour of Britain Cycle Race which is due to pass along Edenfield Road on 3rd September.
Obviously this is not a regular pothole that can just be filled, they first have to establish where the contents of that hole have gone. Generally, in cases like this the material will have been washed away down a broken drain and our highways team are currently conducting dye tests to establish exactly if and where that break is so that the cause can be repaired.
Once established and repaired the hole can be backfilled and the road surface reconstructed to a full highways’ standard, without fear of it collapsing again. Having spoken with one of our Senior Highways Engineers today they are hopeful that this should take about a week (of course there are never any guarantees when you are doing work of this kind).
The Tour of Britain organising team are fully aware of the hole in the road and have said that this will not stop the race coming along the route. Naturally, we would like it finished before the race and our guys are doing their best to make that happen. We are in regular contact with the ToB organisers to keep them updated.
With regards to the seemingly many other roadworks around Norden and the immediate surrounding area, there have just been a few unexpected issued including a gas problem that have needed emergency work. This combined with planned works has made the situation a bit difficult be again, they are trying their best to get a lot of work done before schools return and roads get busier in September.
Being a driver and using these roads daily I share the frustrations of everyone else sat at red lights, but I can only thank our highways team for doing a difficult job (in fact lots of difficult jobs) as quickly and efficiently as they can.
