Mill Springs Update

 The Mill Springs sports pitch area which is to be transferred from developer David Wilson Homes to Whitchurch Town Council seems to be fraught with problems and delays.

The much needed football pitches have not yet been commissioned to the dismay of players and their teams wishing to use them. Wildflower areas were missed, then planted and then inexplicably mown down. Cracks appeared in the cycle/foot path while the ‘chicane barriers’ continue to prevent access for many who have mobility issues, contravening equalities legislation.

Remedial surface work
This week part of the top surface of the cycle path was removed after some test holes were made to see what was causing the cracks. It looked as if planting left under the surface had begun to break through. Around an inch of tarmac has been scraped off, in an area stretching from Micheldever Road to about halfway down the hill.

Let us hope that the remedial work is successful and that it includes removing the source of the issue and not just covering it up only for it to appear again. Will there be a guarantee on this?

Top surface has been scraped off.

No progress on ‘chicane barriers‘
Meanwhile there has been no progress on the two access points where ‘chicane barriers’ remain as hazards and obstructions. It has been brought to the attention of Whitchurch Town Council that the barriers breach the 2010 Equalities Act and do not comply with government DfT requirements (LTN 1/20) for design and construction.
There are other more suitable solutions that can be used but ‘chicane barriers’ are invariably unacceptable as they discriminate against many mobility buggies, adaptive wheelchairs and disabled cycles.
Such ‘chicane barriers’ are currently being removed throughout the country and have also been the subject of court action resulting in costs being awarded. But in Whitchurch they remain.

There is a very simple solution.
If David Wilson Homes remedied the designs before they become the responsibility of Whitchurch Town Council it could save the Whitchurch taxpayers thousands in potential future lawsuits should there be an incident or a discrimination claim. Hampshire County Council has provided a simple low cost solution; however…
We shall see if common sense prevails.

Restrictive barriers remain.
At least someone added a ‘cone’ – maybe to warn users