RICHMOND MP Rishi Sunak has met the owners of businesses facing difficulties as a result of a road improvement scheme which has been delayed for almost a year.
Work to improve the junction at the White Shops, Catterick Garrison, started in September 2016 and was originally scheduled to be completed in 12 weeks.
But the scheme has been plagued by problems – mainly utility companies finding cables and pipes under the road surface they were unaware of and which have had to be moved.
The authority in charge of the scheme – North Yorkshire County Council – says it is now waiting for Vodafone to complete its works before its contractors can get on with the job. The council says it can complete the work by November 24 – almost a year later than originally planned.
But businesses say trade has been hit so hard by the works that some of them may not be trading by then.
Some who were at meeting attended by a representative of the county council and also Mr Sunak said they were facing bankruptcy because the works had made it much more difficult for motorists to stop outside their businesses.
Lengthy delays caused by temporary traffic lights had also reduced the flow of customers.
Mr Sunak said: “Understandably, these hard-pressed businesses are wondering how a programme of work expected to last three months can end up taking more than a year.”
He said his first priority was to contact Vodafone to see if they could bring forward their work – scheduled for July 9 and 14. Only the Vodafone cabling work is holding up progress on the scheme.
He would also investigate the role played by other utility companies in the hold-ups. The businesses deserved an explanation as why the schedule of works - costing £2.2m overall - had been so badly delayed.
Mr Sunak said he would urge the County Council and Richmondshire District Council – jointly responsible for the scheme – to find ways to help the businesses affected once the work was completed.
Ideas mooted at the meeting, held at JT’s Bar in the White shops parade, included an extension of the current free parking arrangements in the nearby car park but also measures to promote the businesses in the local area.
The meeting with local businesses was also attended by local independent councillors Helen Grant and Angie Dale.
The programme of work is designed to increase the capacity of the main road through the Garrison in preparation for the 1,900 new homes that will be built there in the future as the UK’s biggest army base expands.
As well the upgrade of the White Shops junction and signals, the works include road improvements at Catterick Bridge and the Scorton crossroads designed to improve the flow of traffic to and from the upgraded A1.