More temporary traffic lights for Derbyshire A-road after nightmare few months

The traffic lights will be in operation on Ringwood Road over the weekend of July 5-6 for the installation of a water connection to the new Aldi supermarket, under construction on the former Robinsons Caravans site.

It could prove the latest hold-up in a series of works along the busy A-road, which have repeatedly caused nightmare congestion in the village in recent months – but the highways authority says it has looked to minimise the knock-on effects.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “This site is tricky because there are traffic lights close by at the High Street Junction, and we realise that the works have caused congestion, which is why we have asked for manually controlled lights on site from 7am until 7pm.

“The only work to come that we are aware of is for a water connection on 5 and 6 July. At the moment we have not had any other applications from any other organisation for this site.”

They added: “When new developments are built they usually need connections to services, such as gas, water and electricity.

“The utility companies have to do this work, and have to apply for permits. Normally it is not possible for them to all be on the same site at once, as they would just get in each other’s way.”

At the time of writing, no other permits have been granted for Ringwood Road itself within the next 12 months, though residents can anticipate further disruption from surface repairs on the adjoining High Street in August and September, and Hall Road in November, as well as National Grid works on nearby Heywood Street, July 4-10.

It is possible further permit applications will arrive for the Aldi project too, where there are already concerns about the volume and flow of traffic once the shop opens.

Ringwood Road and High Street have also recorded some of the highest air pollution levels in the area.

The situation prompted Brimington’s new Reform UK Councillor Richard Smith into an election campaign pledge earlier this year, promising that he would seek to rationalise the number and scheduling of permits.

This week Cllr Smith said: “A lot of these permits were granted before I took office, but I am looking into it with Derbyshire County Council to see what could happen.

“I don’t think we’re able to stop them all but what would be beneficial is if all the utility companies could come in at the same time to do their work in one go. What’s annoying is when they each do it one at a time.

“I don’t expect any more right now but you never know what’s around the corner. As we’ve seen in other parts of Chesterfield, if there’s a water leak it’s right that the road gets closed to have it fixed. My main goal right now is to try and get the potholes sorted.”

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