Date received: 24 February 2020
Signatories received: 31
Name of petioner: Mr K Johnson and Ms C White
Petition response:
I refer to the petition, signed by local residents regarding the operations of AB Farms LTD. I can advise you that receipt of the petition will be reported to Cllr Helen Fisher, Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport.
Firstly I would say that it is fully understandable to me why you would have aspirations regarding the maintenance of your local road network and I appreciate the time you have taken to contact the Council with your concerns.
Cranebrook Lane is a rural route, serving a small number of properties and because of its road classification, receives an annual highway safety inspection.
Problems such as the carriageway edge failure reported here are natural symptoms of living in a rural location where agricultural activity adds to a presence of traffic using the lane and, where there are limited passing places to accommodate such manoeuvres. This leads to verges being frequently overridden where there is no solid road surface underneath.
All road surfaces deteriorate due to use and weathering and severe weather conditions can accelerate the deterioration of roads. Reactive maintenance work, which is aimed at keeping the roads safe, is identified by a comprehensive system of highway inspections that categorise each defect based on the risk it presents to the travelling public.
Any damage to the public Highway as a result of farm vehicles will be investigated as part of our routine inspection regime. There has been work raised to carry out work to the drains on this road. This work will be carried out as and when resources allow. Any reports you wish to make directly to ourselves relating to specific issues in your local area can be reported via our ‘report it’ app which can be found at the following link www.staffordshire.gov.uk/reportit.
The County Council are not in a position to enforce the working hours of the business due to AB Farms Ltdbeing a private business. Issues such as these would need to be addressed to AB Farms Ltd directly. Planning issues and noise pollution complaints are dealt with via Lichfield District Council therefore the County Council is unable to comment on these issues. These will need to be raised with the District Council who can be contacted via their website https://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/digitalservices.