Work begins on Church Hill Centre

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THE LONG-AWAITED redevelopment of Church Hill Centre has finally got underway.

Bulldozers moved onto the site at the end of last week to begin demolishing the Book and Candle pub.

It will take between 18 months and two years to complete the scheme which will see 51 new homes built on the site of the current district centre and a new residential street created called Cherry Tree Avenue. A new range of shop units, pharmacy and medical centre will be built on the opposite side off Tanhouse Lane, where the car park currently is. Work will be done in stages so there is no loss of service to residents.

Developers LSP/Bellway Homes met residents to discuss the work at a PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meeting on Wednesday (August 1).

Part of the scheme involves connecting Tanhouse Lane and Rickyard Lane by allowing traffic to cross Church Hill Way which has raised safety fears as it is believed it will encourage traffic to turn left and right along the buses only lane instead of just going straight ahead.

Council leader Bill Hartnett, who also represents Church Hill, while supporting the project had pledged to try and get the developers to reconsider the road layout. At the meeting it was revealed he had met with them and put forward alternative designs but they had been rejected.

"I'm very disappointed. The reason to try and change the design was road safety. By allowing vehicles to cross the bus lane will tempt vehicles to travel along the Bus Only Lane and will create a 'rat run' linking north and south Church Hill and make both roads busier."

But resident Ian Johnson, who pushed the developers to come and talk with residents at the meeting, said overall people were positive about the scheme.

"Residents are sick and tired of the centre the way it is. It's in a run down state and we look forward to the new centre being built."

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