For several years now we have been concerned about the problems caused by large and heavy vehicles accessing (or attempting to access) Sandfield Road from Gateacre Brow. In 1997 a public meeting in the Chapel Hall resulted in a promise from Travis Perkins - who had taken over the long-established Rees Jones builders' merchants yard - that they would no longer accept deliveries from articulated vehicles. But it is not only such lorries - and not only Travis Perkins - that are the source of the problem. A variety of large vehicles have continued to uproot bollards, graze the sandstone boundary wall of the Chapel, and cause damage to the 'black-and-white' listed building on the corner of Gateacre Brow.

Council officers said initially that they could not impose a width or weight restriction, because there were established businesses in Sandfield Road which were entitled to access their premises. But we pointed out that there is, in fact, a physical limit to the size of vehicle which can safely enter the road - and unfortunately some lorry drivers only become aware of this when it is too late! We suggested that, at the very least, warning signs should be erected at the entrance to the road, and the pavement should be widened to keep vehicles away from the walls on either side. Shortly before Christmas, Councillor Malcolm Kelly arranged a site visit, attended by the relevant Council officers, our Environment Secretary, and the owner of 28a-d Gateacre Brow. The officers undertook to give the matter further consideration, and to report back with some suggestions for improvement. We await this report with interest.