This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
    • Politics
    • Transport
    • Lifestyle
    • Community
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Education
    • Sport
    • Harrogate
    • Ripon
    • Knaresborough
    • Boroughbridge
    • Pateley Bridge
    • Masham
  • What's On
  • Offers
  • Newsletter
  • Podcasts

Interested in advertising with us?

Advertise with us

  • News & Features
  • Your Area
  • What's On
  • Offers
  • Newsletter
  • Podcasts
  • Politics
  • Transport
  • Lifestyle
  • Community
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Education
  • Sport
Advertise with us
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Latest News

We want to hear from you

Tell us your opinions and views on what we cover

Contact us
Connect with us
  • About us
  • Advertise your job
  • Correction and complaints
Download on App StoreDownload on Google Play Store
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Statement
  • Comments Participation T&Cs
Trust In Journalism

Copyright © 2020 The Stray Ferret Ltd, All Rights Reserved

Site by Show + Tell

Subscribe to trusted local news

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

  • Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

14

Dec 2022

Last Updated: 13/12/2022
Politics
Politics

No end in sight to Sharow's pothole plight

by Tim Flanagan

| 14 Dec, 2022
Comment

0

Residents of Sharow face a long wait for resurfacing works required on two potholed roads

sharow-9th-feb-2022-temporary-tarmac-fix-on-sharow-lane-2
Potholed Sharow Lane.

Work to repair potholes in Sharow has not been included in the North Yorkshire County Council programme for next year.

Villagers are set to face continuing bumpy rides after discovering the capital programme for the 2023/24 financial year does not include the repairs, estimated to cost around £200,000.

Village campaigner James Thornborough told the Stray Ferret:

"As well as being bad news for anybody who drives, cycles or walks along New Road or Sharow Lane, this has wider implications for people across the county waiting for work to be carried out on potholed and uneven roads."


His disappointment follows an email response seen by the Stray Ferret in which Barrie Mason, NYCC's assistant director of highways and transportation, said:

"The delivery programme for the 2023/24 capital programme has been determined and cost pressures in the budget due to construction price inflation means that a number of schemes that were already programmed have had to be put back and consequently a scheme for Sharow Lane and New Road will not be delivered in 2023/24, but will be considered again against priorities across the county network for the 2024/25 programme."


He added:

"I can assure you that the team will in the meantime ensure that these roads are inspected and maintained in line with our Highways Safety Inspection Manual and responsibilities as the local highway authority to ensure that any safety defects are repaired."






Read more:



  • Ripon jobs at risk after retailer goes into administration

  • Major £3.6 million plan for Fountains Abbey






The Stray Ferret approached Mr Mason to ask what other schemes in the the Harrogate district have been removed from the capital programme for 2023/24, but no response had been received at the time of publication.

In February, after raising Sharow's pothole plight with NYCC's chief executive Richard Flinton, Mr Thornborough felt reassured after receiving a rapid email response from the county's head of highways operations Nigel Smith, who said:

“Sharow Lane and New Road are at a stage where preventative maintenance is not an option and a more substantial maintenance scheme will be considered for inclusion in our Forward Capital Programme, which presently means that the earliest a planned maintenance scheme could be delivered would be during the 2023/24 financial year.
“By way of further information, it is anticipated that a full ‘plane out and resurface’ scheme is required at this location, which will require funding of up to £200,000.
“In the meantime we will continue to do the annual safety inspections and reactive inspections to keep these carriageways in as safe a condition as possible and keep the matter under regular review."


Within days of the email,  NYCC workmen identified 38 potholes in Sharow and a temporary tarmac fix was applied.

Now, with the full plane out and resurfacing works ruled out for the coming financial year, Mr Thornborough, said:

"The council itself accepts that preventative maintenance is no longer an option for the affected roads in the village, but if they can't find the £200,000 to do this job, it sends a worrying message about their ability to keep all roads across the county in an acceptable condition."