In another frustrating turn of events for villagers and visitors, it’s been announced that a key access road at the southern end of Ruddington will need to be totally closed for a week this summer.
As the construction of 175 new homes at the ‘Wilbur Chase’ housing development gathers pace, “carriageway improvement work” on behalf of Avant Homes will shut Asher Lane from its junction with Distillery Street to its junction with Musters Road from 7.30am on Monday 14th June through to 4.30pm on Friday 18th June. It’s believed this closure is for the widening of Asher Lane along this stretch as part of the traffic mitigation measures funded by the developer, which will actually start on Monday May 24th, and also includes the addition of new double yellow lines. Access will be maintained only for Pedestrians and Emergency Services.
Moreover, the rather surprising ‘official’ diversionary route (shown below) will be via The Green, High Street, Kirk Lane, Elms Park, Moor Lane, Leys Road, Barleylands and vice versa – many of which are narrow and congested residential streets. Meantime, residents on Top Road and Fuller Street will have their current one-way restrictions lifted temporarily to gain vehicular access to their homes via Musters Road.
As well as Asher Lane also being used heavily by construction traffic right now, it is also utilised ‘unofficially’ by many visitors to Rushcliffe Country Park for gaining access to park up adjacent to the southern entrances. Whilst this is frowned upon by both the Council and nearby residents, there is still no legal enforcement to prevent motorists from doing so. Therefore it’s likely many drivers will continue to use another route through to park, adding to the congestion.
Please note, ahead of this prohibition of driving, there is other work listed for the same stretch of Asher Lane requiring temporary traffic lights from Monday May 24th to Friday June 11th. It’s believed that this is for the same work to be started prior to a full road closure being required.
Wilbur Chase is one of four major new housing developments now underway on former Green Belt land in Ruddington as part of the Rushcliffe Local Plan Part 2. Villagers are having to accept that disruption due to construction work will remain a way of life here for a few more years to come.
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