I want some independent opinions please

Soldato
Joined
18 Jun 2010
Posts
6,694
Location
Essex
Hi,

As some of you know from my other threads, I'm looking to have a new water supply installed. It was all set to go ahead last week, but it got called off the day before it was due to start due to the council not permitting it. As the road would need to be digged up, they would need to put in temporary 1 way traffic lights, for 4 days (Tuesday-Friday). The reason they have denied it is because of our proximity to a school. They have said it either needs to happen in the next half term (February) or out of hours, i.e. weekend. The water company have told me they tried to fight the decision to no avail. And my options are to wait until February or pay a +58% uplift fee to do it out of hours.

I'm tempted to try an argue the case a bit more with the council myself, but I'm also just tempted to wait until February. I do think the decision is slightly odd.

To give some context here is a satellite view:


The high street flows into the downs, there is a junction to turn into the road where I live, this is a dead end effectively a cul de sac. The bit on the top left that looks as though it joins up to the downs is not a road, you can walk through there though.

The 2 sections in orange is where the vast majority of the parents dropping off their kids park. The red box with the 2 arrows is where the works and traffic lights would be, outside my house.

To me, I would understand the decision if the works were on the main stretch of the High Street and the downs, as they are the only ways to access the school and it would be disruptive. But it's not, it's on a dead end road, and yes we are close to the school, and yes sometimes some parents come and park down here (not many). But there is loads of space to park on the high street (and further down bottom right of the image) and in the orange section marked in the downs. To me, the decision implies that our road is a de facto car park for the school.

Tbh, I'm probably just going to wait, because arguing about it with the council, even if I am eventually granted permission will probably go on until February anyway and I don't want to pay an extra £~2500 to get it done sooner on the weekend. Just wanted to rant, and I'm sure I'm being unreasonable, so wanted some independent heads to tell me so :D cheers.
 
I'm guessing potential works traffic and proximity to a school has them running a mile, even if there was a reasonable way to do it, they'd rather just not touch it in case of potential liability.
 
Thanks all. The other option which I'm looking at is seeing if there is a 3rd party company that will do it, out of hours, cheaper.

This was an option with the water company, you could either pay them ~£5000 (now +58% for out of hours to ~£8000), or pay them some fees ~£200 and get a qualified installer to do the work, who I would then pay directly.

I went with the first option and have already paid them the £5k, I'm looking at seeing if a third party qualified installer can do it, out of hours, sooner than February, and cheaper. If so, I'll get my money back (although I'm sure they'll charge me some bloody admin fee!) and go that route. Let's see.
 
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I'm guessing potential works traffic and proximity to a school has them running a mile, even if there was a reasonable way to do it, they'd rather just not touch it in case of potential liability.
Ah do you mean as in if they were to damage the water supply which could affect the school's water supply. Didn't think of that, but that is a reasonable consideration I suppose.
 
Ah do you mean as in if they were to damage the water supply which could affect the school's water supply. Didn't think of that, but that is a reasonable consideration I suppose.

Anything which might impact the school by proximity whether utilities or the potential, however small, of say a child being somehow injured is something they'd rather wash their hands of than make a reasonable effort.
 
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