SE Water Main Replacement, Upper St, Leeds
11th July 2023
A Message from South East Water
We would like to thank everyone for their concern and input regarding the South East Water infrastructure project in Upper Street, Leeds.
South East Water was pleased to have been able to complete the majority of phase one in private land to prevent prolonged disruption in Upper Street itself. Unfortunately, phase two, as you know, requires the closure of the road to allow the replacement of this vital main, which serves multiple properties as well as acts as a ‘spine main’ to feed water to other roads off Upper Street.
As well as replacing the ageing main and preventing unplanned disruptions caused by bursts and leaks, South East Water is taking the opportunity this replacement project provides to upsize the main. This will enable more water to be fed to the area and will prevent residents from experiencing a loss of water pressure as the development in the area grows.
Following a number of meetings with parish councils, businesses and the public, South East Water and Kent County Council acknowledged and understood not only the concerns about traffic management, but the strength of feeling regarding this essential work.
As a result, a large number of resources have been used by all parties to drive the roads in the area and understand the suggestions made pertaining to what we feel everyone appreciates is a difficult situation. This scheme has gone beyond the legal requirements of South East Water just to provide and manage signage for an official diversion route.
We have now proposed a solution that balances the concerns of residents, discouraging rat-runners, and addressing the needs of businesses in the area. Small amendments have been made following the public meeting and additional discussions with Leeds Castle and The George and a final map will shortly be available on the website at southeastwater.co.uk/leeds
Due to balancing the needs of all parties mentioned above, no further changes to the closure and diversion plans will be made ahead of work beginning. We will of course continue to monitor the situation once the works have commenced.
We appreciate that this, like any alternative option, will not suit everybody. This is why we have agreed to and are working towards setting a review meeting approximately two weeks after the start date, and after schools have returned from the summer break. At these sessions we will review what is going well and where potential changes can be made if there are issues. We are aiming to have these dates confirmed and notification to all parties and residents completed by the end of this week.
When the works start on Monday 24 July, representatives from South East Water will be in the area and any feedback will be taken on board and fed back for discussion, along with any additional concerns raised at the review meetings.
Traffic management will be monitored and reviewed throughout the duration of the project to ensure it is suitable for the majority of the local community. In addition, there will be gatemen manning the chicanes for the first two weeks, to ensure compliance with the closures, whilst the scheme gets underway.
Once again, we thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns with us in the lead up to this project.
Yours sincerely
Chris Love, Delivery Manager, South East Water
Andrew Loosemore, Head of Highways