A compromise has been reached over a road closure which threatened to cause a major headache to residents and businesses in Brisbane Glen.
We reported last week that the temporary closure of a section of Brisbane Glen Road in Largs, proposed for nine days in November, could see residents face diversions extending their round trips by an hour and 40 minutes.
The closure, between Brisbane Glen Cemetery and Tourgill Farm, was due to start at 8am on Wednesday, November 8 until 6pm on Friday, November 17 for BT Openreach works.
North Ayrshire Council's roads department states that due to the nature of the work and existing road widths, safety reasons meant a restriction would have to be put in place for the duration of the work.
Largs community councillor Jamie Black had raised strong concerns, and called for the matter to be reviewed and measures put in place to ensure access to Largs during, at the very least, the start and end of the school day.
And independent councillor Ian Murdoch was involved in arranging a summit between the residents and Openreach to try and resolve the situation.
Folllowing the summit, Mr Black said: "It was a productive meeting and it sounds like we've found a resolution that will allow these much needed works to go ahead but ensure residents can still access local services with much less disruption than the planned full closure.
"It is a great result for the community and good to be bale to work with multiple organisations to get the right outcome."
Cllr Murdoch said: "We had an on site meeting at the bus turning point about the proposed road closure.
"The main problem with the original road closure was the impact it was going to have on residents, and several businesses, as multiple vehicles needed access on the road for deliveries.
"Due to the equipment that was being used, it looked like the road was going to be impassable, but Openreach are now looking at another way of doing the works.
"This will possibly require open trench areas, which means that there will still be local access rather than the hard closure.
"This was a real result which came about through as a result of inviting residents and businesses to discuss the matter with Openreach and was a very positive outcome
"Without that meeting and input from residents, businesses and myself, the full road closure would have gone ahead and it would have been very difficult for residents."
An Openreach spokesperson said: "Following a site meeting with the council and residents, and further survey work, we’re working to put a new plan in place to avoid a road closure and minimise local disruption.
"We’re in the process of getting this proposal agreed, and will keep everyone updated. We’ll do all we can to accommodate local needs while making sure work is carried out safely."
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