Villagers’ lorry mayhem

“It’s a bit of a case of we told you so.” That is the message from neighbours on a quiet street after huge lorries brought chaos to a village’s roads.
Articulated lorries try to reverse on quiet residential streets in Wrea Green and (below) Coun Janet Wardell.Articulated lorries try to reverse on quiet residential streets in Wrea Green and (below) Coun Janet Wardell.
Articulated lorries try to reverse on quiet residential streets in Wrea Green and (below) Coun Janet Wardell.

The HGVs are delivering materials to the controversial new 55 home development off Richmond Avenue, Wrea Green.

The lorries are too wide to get access into the site without completing a complicated reversing procedure on nearby streets, as they are unable to negotiate the sharp bends.

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Elizabeth Rugman, who lives on nearby Westbourne Avenue, said: “The drivers are so apologetic.

Coun Janet WardellCoun Janet Wardell
Coun Janet Wardell

“It’s not their fault at all but they can’t get into the street.

“Access was the main point we made against this development and we have been proved right.

“It’s such a narrow road with so many bends and it’s a shock when you see all these lorries by your own home.

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“It’s going to be very hard for us all because the road was not designed for such heavy vehicles.

“We’ve warned them and it didn’t seem to make a difference, everything that we told them has come true and we weren’t listened to.

“It’s a bit of a case of ‘we told you so’.”

Work on the site began on Wednesday.

Coun Janet Wardell, chairman of Ribby with Wrea Parish Council, which also objected to the development, said: “They’ve had the roads blocked and people aren’t able to get out of their houses because they can’t drive large vehicles straight down the street.

“We’ve had endless problems with people not able to get out or back again.

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“It’s horrendous and they should have looked at this at the start.”

Despite huge public opposition to the plans due to flooding concerns in Richmond Avenue, Fylde Council’s development committee backed the proposals in October 2012.

More than 50 neighbours, attended the meeting to voice their concerns, which also included a lack of primary school places in the area.

The site is being built by Guernsey-based developer, Les Bois Blancs Holdings.

Despite repeated calls to Les Bois Blancs, no-one from the company was available for comment.

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