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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Nicola Findlay

Residents call for urgent upgrade of Lanarkshire road before more homes built

Residents in Strathaven have called for a single-track road to be upgraded as a matter of urgency - before any more homes are built nearby.

A 'Safer Roads' campaign has warned that any further development at the Overton Gardens estate is a serious safety risk to drivers and pedestrians due to the narrow Berebriggs Road.

Hundreds of new homes have already been built on the development by a previous developer with a planning application from Bancon Homes and HJ Paterson for 105 new homes granted in December by South Lanarkshire Council (SLC).

A condition of this planning was for the carriageway widening of Berebriggs Road "to permit two-way flow along its entire length".

This had to be implemented before any further homes could be completed.

But an application was lodged by Bancon Homes and HJ Paterson in January for the variation of the condition to enable up to 15 dwelling houses to be completed prior to the agreed Berebriggs Road upgrade scheme being implemented in full.

This has angered locals who say Berebriggs Road is unable to cope with the current volume of traffic and the upgrade is an absolute priority before there is a serious accident or worse.

And the 'Safer Roads' campaign states in a petition circulated among residents: "The new homes already built have had a massive impact on the volume of traffic using Berebriggs Road, this impact has resulted in many accidents and road safety issues leaving local residents at risk whilst driving on Berebriggs Road.

"The trigger point for the upgrade of Berebriggs Road is on the 180th house, that has came and gone.

"We want to ensure compliance by the developer to upgrade of Berebriggs road as per the planning condition to ensure public, community and resident safety.

"Let's all ensure Berebriggs Road is made safe again and ensure the developers are held accountable."

Overton Gardens resident Andrew Webb, told Lanarkshire Live : "We moved in to the estate three years ago and were told the development could never go above 180 until the road was upgraded.

"With the 142 on estate now, 37 being built by new developer Bancon and the 105 granted permission, that's come and gone and the road is still a single-track road which isn't fit for purpose.

"Just the other week a car came off the road and ended up in a field and it's not the first time. And there will be more accidents on this road unless action is taken.

"We are concerned that permission is granted for more and more homes and there is more building work without Berebriggs getting the upgrade it desperately needs.

"Three years we have been pushing for it and it just seems to get put back and back, meanwhile the developments gets bigger.

A spokesperson for Bancon Homes Ltd said they are "absolutely committed" to upgrading the Berebriggs Road as required under planning consent and recognise residents' safety concerns.

They added: "These works would commence as soon as we have all the necessary permissions in place and prior to work starting on the next phase of housing at East Overton, with the road upgrade expected to complete prior to the completion of any new homes.

"As we are proposing that there would be an overlap in the road upgrade and site build, we have however asked for a variation to one of our planning conditions to allow a maximum of 15 homes to be completed before the road upgrade is finished.

"This is simply to allow for any unforeseen delays.”

Colin Park, the council’s head of the roads and transportation, said: “A review of road injury accidents shows that there have not been any on Beregriggs Road over recent years.

“However, for this development to proceed the developer is required to undertake improvements to this road.

“Details of these works have recently been submitted and are currently being reviewed. Once approved, the road widening works will be implemented in accordance with the design.”

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