BLACK ASPHALT REPAIRS TO PAVEMENTS

Lime Tree Avenue Residents will have noticed that although some pavement areas have had uneven slabs rectified other areas have had paving slabs replaced by Black Asphalt as a PERMANENT remedy.

This action has been raised with Mr Barry Candy, a Senior Officer at the Clapham Highways Depot of West Sussex County Council. He has confirmed that although on restricted budgets so far as it possible our paving slabs will be retained BUT where cars and lorries have been parked on paving slabs resulting in those slabs being broken, repairs will be effected using Black Asphalt. The latter will be used also where tree roots have caused slabs to rise.

If you want to retain pink paving slabs in front of your property then you will have to ensure that any Contractor you engage either keeps off the paving slabs or replaces those broken.

After speaking at some length with Mr Candy who appreciates the concern of homeowners about the appearance of the street in relation to their property (and value) I asked whether a householder could arrange to have a pavement repaired “to slab”s at the householder’s cost. Interestingly the answer is YES. The repair may be done (to the WSCC SPECIFICATION) by either WSCC or a PRIVATE CONTRACTOR. This still leaves a problem in trying to find out when WSCC might be issuing instructions to their Contractors and Mr Candy does not have sufficient resources to notify householders of works intentions.

There is still no intention as a whole job to convert Lime Tree Avenue to a Black Asphalt prairie but unless householders look after their front pavement area the black prairie will happen.

DAVID MAHONEY

LIME TREE AVENUE

FINDON VALLEY

April 2006