Re-opening of Park Road between Elland and Brighouse hit by more delays

Calderdale Council had said Park Road at Elland, which links Brighouse with the rest of the borough, would re-open in December, but a resident wanted to know why this had been put back to January.

The road was closed after the severe flooding which hit Calderdale with Storm Ciara in February 2020 caused a landslip and the repair has been complex, says the council.

But after the December re-opening announcement, Penny Hutchinson asked why there had been a further delay at the public question time at November’s Cabinet meeting.

She said the closure badly affected resident in Southowram, which many drivers were using as an alternative route.

Work is also going on at Salterhebble on the main A629.

Residents had been told Park Road would re-open in December if there had been no adverse conditions affecting work and there had not been, but the council had now said it would not re-open until January, said Ms Hutchinson.

Cabinet member for Resources, Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said it had been hoped one line of traffic could re-open there but when extensive piling work started it became apparent “enormous” boulders had been embedded there to support the hill and needed to be removed before piles could be sunk in.

It was now expected the road would re-open in January but one bit of good news was that work which needed doing at the Brighouse end of Park Road could be done using the existing traffic controls rather than another road closure.

Cabinet also faced questions from Coun Robert Thornber (Con, Ryburn) about safety measures including leaf clearing and the stability of trees which had now formed a canopy on a Sowerby route.

Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, Coun Jenny Lynn (Lab, Park) said a schedule for leaf clearing would be followed and an inspector had checked the trees on the Sowerby route and found them to be stable.

Coun Thornber was right that once contacted, any landowner requiring to do safety work was given a small amount of time to do it before the council could take action, she said.

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