Busy Ledbury road could be closed for months (From Hereford Times)
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Knapp Lane closed off due to crumbling wall
9:50am Friday 5th October 2012 in Local News
ONE of the busiest roads in Ledbury could be shut for months because of a crumbling wall.
Knapp Lane, one of the most congested links to and from Worcester Road, is not in use because of a crumbling wall at its junction with the Homend.
It has already been shut for more than a week and a date for repairing it has yet to be announced.
Councillor Peter Watts, who represents the area, has received complaints from Bank Crescent residents because their normally quiet residential street is now being used as a detour into town.
Coun Watts has been in talks with the wall’s owner, who is waiting to hear from Herefordshire Council and its highways contractor Amey what is needed to get it fixed.
Coun Watts said: “It certainly won’t be fixed next week. I’d like it to be done in the next two months.”
He said the wall, which is holding back a garden, above normal ground level, will need rebuilding from the base.
But he added: “My view was that some residents of Ledbury must be tolerant of the situation, until it is resolved by the agencies concerned. It is not a closure forever.
“I ask people to just give a little leeway for the circumstance other residents find themselves in.”
The wall’s owner declined to comment when contacted by the local press.
Businessman Spencer Lane, of Bank Crescent said: “We’ve seen more traffic, more speeding, and some cars mounting the pavement. I will assume this situation could carry on for several months.”
A Herefordshire Council spokesman said: “The council contacted the owner to express concerns over the safety of the wall in April this year.
“Subsequently, the wall has deteriorated further and engineers have concluded that it is now potentially unsafe.
“As a result it has been necessary to close Knapp Lane for safety reasons.
“We are now in discussion with the homeowner about how best to rectify the problem and make the wall safe.”
