The ongoing saga of my local councillors ‘it’s not a drive’ building works continues.
On the run up to the election Shazad Hussain kept telling everyone that the building work he was doing at his house wasn’t to create a drive, then strangely just after he was elected, planning permission was granted for it to become a drive and for him to have a dropped kerb. If you look at the documents linked below, you will see the decision is delegated which as far as I am aware means, officers sign it off without it going to the planning committee, the planning committee Councillor Shazad Hussain sits on.
The planning application states that the work will be carried out by Highways & Transportation section so I’m not sure why today the comedy contractors came to start work putting in the drop kerb.
These contractors look very much like the same contractors who wrecked all the paving stones on the footway when they did the initial work to make the ‘it’s not a drive’ drive earlier this year. The same ones who had the police called out to them because they left a JCB blocking the pavement with the engine running and went off in a van for a couple of hours.
While they were doing the work today they were blocking the main road with two JCBs and no traffic management other than one guy doing a half hearted job of trying to see what traffic was coming and waving it past the vehicles which were causing the obstruction.
Then they parked their untaxed JCB & probably illegal trailer on the footpath at the side of my house blocking it completely.
Update
I have called highways and they have no record of any work being carried out nor do they have the required documents for anyone to do the work. An inspector has been sent out to stop the work although our councillor does appear to be throwing his weight about to try and get the work finished.
All we need now is Highways or the police to come and sort out the illegally parked vehicle and it’s lack of an up to date tax disk..
or the fact that it is not roadworthy in any form
Update at 14:30
Work has been stopped and the council have just been to put up barriers around the hole in the pavement.
Just to be clear, I have no problem with the drop kerb being put in, it is after all, legal and above board with full planning permission, even if when Shazad Hussain was canvassing for votes, he told us it wasn’t a drive.
I do however, have issue with the way that the work is done, the lack of respect for neighbours and the danger that it presents to other road users & pedestrians along with the fact that the work is being carried out other than in accordance with the planning permission IE by the council. I also have issue with the roadworthiness of the JCB pictured above, whether it is actually taxed and indeed insured.