'Residents deserve better notice about roadworks' says councillor
There's calls for major changes to the way utilities and roadworks are done in Devon
Last updated 12th Jul 2023
There's calls for major changes in Devon to stop residents only finding out works are taking place when they try to use the road.
Councillor Alan Connett who will today get a response from the county council as he calls for new rules to be agreed for how firms tell residents what's happening.
He said: "Hours and hours have been taken up with highways officers travelling to Kennford to check on complaints from residents who say they have been denied access to and from their own driveways."
Cllr Connett, who represents the Exminster & Haldon division at County Hall, added:" I really do feel for the residents in Kennford. They appear to have had no information about these works, what was planned and when it would happen. They're getting mixed messages by word of mouth after talking to some of the contractors but what they really want and need is to have been informed well in advance.
"Kenn Parish Council is furious as well. It had no prior notification either. The simple thing would have been for the contractors to have been required to inform residents and the Parish Council. That's why I have now put in a formal question to the County Council asking why nothing was sent to residents. It seems to me that the rules need to be tightened up and contractors required to communicate as a condition of being allowed to do works on the highway"
A spokesperson for the MUA group said: "We were working to install a new electricity supply, ready for new EV chargers to be installed at Gisson Hotel. We wrote to local residents to let them know about this project before work began on 7 June, and we had advance notice signs in place in the immediate area. We apologise for any inconvenience this work near Gisson Hotel may have caused to residents. We completed our project on Friday 30 June. "