Bovis bosses step in after road ‘gridlock’ in Ottery St Mary
Road closures in Ottery caused traffic 'gridlock' last week - Credit: Archant
Developers this week promised action after chaos caused by construction vehicles and road closures stirred a fresh wave of anger in Ottery.
Work is now well under way on the Bovis Homes development of 165 houses at Island Farm, opposite The King’s School.
But the closure of Strawberry Lane – which runs next the site – led to traffic ‘gridlock’ last week.
While drivers took to social media to express their frustrations at delays caused by the ongoing construction work, contractors were also blasted for parking vehicles in the road near the school and accused of exacerbating the problem.
Complaints from frustrated residents prompted senior Bovis Homes staff to visit the site and the company says it is putting measures in place to minimise disruption.
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District and town councillor Roger Giles said he is aware of difficulties being caused on the roads by the development and said he has spoken to bus drivers who are also running into problems. He said: “What is making it worse at the moment is that Strawberry Lane has been closed, so there has been extra traffic. There has always been cars parked there, but it is a lot worse at the moment.
“Bus drivers say they are finding it difficult to get the buses through.
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“If Bovis was to ensure that all its people working on the site could park in the field – that would be a simple solution that would help everybody.”
The development was given the green light early this year. Concerns have previously been raised about the safety of pedestrians and the impact on surrounding infrastructure.
A spokesperson for Bovis Homes said: “Bovis Homes has worked very closely with both residents and the local council throughout the planning stage of our new development to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.
“Following a recent visit from senior Bovis Homes staff, we are continuing to work with our site team to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum. We appreciate feedback from people and have passed on the comments to the site team who will in turn speak to our contractors. This should certainly improve the situation.”
