So where would you position a lamp post?
Where Croydon Council, and its councillors, fail to get results, it seems Inside Croydon helps to deliver required outcomes for residents.
The latest example is with the lamp post on Brancaster Lane in Purley, which contractors Skanska managed to plonk right in the middle of the pavement, making the foot path impassable for wheelchair users or those with baby buggies. And which defied all commonsense.
Skanska workmen said the lamp post’s positioning “met regulations”.
Inside Croydon‘s loyal reader raised the matter with Croydon Council. Nothing happened. Their (Tory) Purley councillors were informed. Again, nothing happened. In the absence of any resolution, they then raised the matter with us.
Armed with our published report, they then wrote to the CEO of Skanska, also highlighting the very helpful reader comments attached.
Within a couple of days, they had a site visit arranged by Marc Zahra, Skanska’s “customer liaison manager”, and this promising written response:
“As discussed at our meeting we have arranged for column 015 to be relocated to the back of the footway which will be conducted shortly. Thank you for meeting me onsite today so that we could discuss your concerns in person. I hope that this addressed all of your concerns and that you are now satisfied with the street lighting replacement in Brancaster Lane, however should you require anything further, please do not hesitate to contact me.”
Simple, really.
Makes you wonder why Croydon Council couldn’t achieve such an end-result so readily. Or why Skanska’s workmen ever thought that putting a lamppost in the middle of a pavement was a good idea at all.
Meanwhile, the cracks in the road surface along our loyal reader’s street continue to grow into dangerously large pot holes.
Despite at least half a dozen emails to the leader of Croydon Council our loyal reader has yet to receive even the courtesy of a reply from Tony Newman (who receives £54,000 per year in “council allowances”), nor any repairs by the council to the road. In the absence of any action by the council or its contractors, a campaign of guerilla graffiti is being planned.
Watch this space, Councillor Newman…
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It’s been similar in Lewisham, which shares the Skanska Croydon contract – it took Skanska months to finish work in Broadway Fields in Deptford, for example. It all seems efficient on the main roads, but a bit of a mess on the backstreets. Not sure how that’s played with the council/councillors there though.
Maybe we should all be complaining to the SKANSKA CEO instead of going through the council!
Our street lighting is in the midst of being replaced and I have already moaned about having now got a new street light on the edge of my drive which is a little problematic but worse is the pile of rubble in the road that is at least a car width and a car and a half length, right on the end of my drive making it really hard to get in and out of my property.
If it’s gone tomorrow, I’ll suck up the placement of the street light but my fear is it’s here for awhile, as no one from Skanska has been to the street for the last 3 working days!
Why are their workforce so inconsiderate, or is it just stupidity? There is plenty of space between my neighbours and myself that the rubble could have been in between and not caused as much inconvenience.
On top of all this, we had our street up only 2 months ago due to an ongoing water pipe problem..
I AM SICK OF ROADWORKS OUTSIDE MY HOUSE!!!!
I’m also a Purley resident and when they removed the lamppost next to my car (without asking me to move it), they left a residue of iron filings over the car which will cost me at least £270 to put right. I have been in touch with the council who say that Skanska are responsible for any claims, but Skanska seem very reluctant to answer me. I have therefore taken the step today to write to the CEO of Skanska, so let’s see where that gets me……..