John Fraser

The parish council has been raising concerns about the state of Yarnfield Lane with both the county council highways department and HS2 contractors  for over 12 months. As part of this work they have also been encouraging residents to log complaints about potholes on the county council website.

In an attend to find a permanent solution a letter has been sent to Cllr. Ian Parry, who is both the Staffordshire County Councillor for Stone Rural and is the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources at the County Council.

Letter to Cllr. Parry, Monday 4 March, 2024

Dear Councillor Parry,

As I am sure you will be aware, Yarnfield Lane provides the main access route for residents of Yarnfield and Cold Meece to Stone. The lane from the M6 over bridge to the A34 lies within Stone Rural Parish Council. While Stone Rural has not received any complaints about the deplorable condition of the lane, Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council continues to receive complaints from residents. We have alsoraised complaints about the state of the lane on the Staffordshire County Council website and reported our concerns to the HS2 contractor, Balfour Beatty.

The severity of the potholes means they are very difficult to avoid, and there are numerous cases of vehicles being damaged, requiring very costly repairs. We are only aware of cases that affect residents of the parish, but there will be non-residents that use the lane who have also suffered. We are also aware that the damage to vehicles has prompted those affected to seek compensation from Staffordshire County Council.

Over the last 5 years, the lane has been used continuously by major construction projects:

• 2019–2021: Highways England, Smart Motorway Construction
• 2021–2023: Network Plus, Western Power 32KV cable laying (Meaford to Eccleshall)
• 2022–2024: HS2 Ltd. contractors, Early Environmental Works

It is this repeated use by construction traffic that we believe is the principal reason for the state of the lane. This is particularly true in the vicinity of the HS2 compound. At the last HS2 Phase 2a Highways Subgroup Extraordinary Meeting, held on 26^th February, in response to a question raised by Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council, parish councils were told by HS2 staff to contact their highway authority in the first instance, who could refer complaints to HS2 Ltd. The presumption being that HS2 Ltd would be liable to carry out repairs or compensate where the damage had been caused by HS2 construction work or traffic. Given the costs involved, both in repairing damaged roads and the number of compensation claims that are being put to the County Council, it seems reasonable to ensure that HS2 Ltd. is held responsible for the impact their work is having.

The most affected length of lane is in the vicinity of the HS2 compound used by Balfour Beatty, which, because of work done on their site, has led to the blocking of a land drain that now causes the lane to be regularly flooded, especially during periods of heavy rain. We believe the damage to the road surface and potholes on this length of the lane are directly attributable to this work. Repairs that have been carried out on the road do not last for more than a few days. Yarnfield and Cold Meece parish councillors have met with the Balfour Beatty site manager in an attempt to resolve these problems but have failed to secure the necessary repairs and unblocking of the land drain. To make matters worse, the road gullies in this section of lane are blocked.

While the debate about where responsibility lies take place, we continue to see no action being taken to carry out any repairs to the lane. I now ask that you use your influence to find a resolution to these issues. My councillors would welcome an opportunity to show you the extent of the problem and would be happy to meet you. It is my hope that we can share with residents the details of what and when the defects will be addressed to provide some assurance that their concerns are being taken seriously.

Regards,

John Fraser
Parish Clerk, Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council

SRCG statement: Response to Prime Minister’s decision to scrap HS2 Phase 2

SRCG welcomes Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to scrap Phase 2 of the HS2 project, which was announced during his speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Wednesday 4^th October.

The decision will save over £36 billion of public money, which will now be more wisely invested in better targeted transport infrastructure projects across the UK to truly serve the needs of communities and level up the country.

Phase 2 will essentially be replaced by Phase 1+, which was devised by SRCG and communicated to the Government with the help of our local MPs.

Phase 1+ utilises HS2 Phase One and its connection to the West Coast Mainline via the Handsacre link. This will enable HS2 trains to serve Manchester and all other West Coast destinations north of Birmingham in greater numbers than could be achieved by HS2 Ltd’s ill-conceived proposals for Phase 2 which, contrary to the misleading claims of HS2 Ltd and its cheerleaders, would have decimated rail capacity and connectivity at Crewe.

HS2 Phase 2 would have led to a reduction of inter-city rail services to 75% of West Coast destinations as well as a 60% cut in express trains calling at Crewe Station and a halving of services to Stoke-on-Trent. This will now be avoided following the Prime Minister’s brave decision to ignore the vested interests who have made a fortune from the HS2 project.

SRCG would like to thank Stone Town Council, Yarnfield & Cold Meece Parish Council and Chebsey Parish Council, together with our supporters within the locality and beyond for having faith in our work over the last seven years.

Very special thanks also go to our local MPs, Sir Bill Cash, Jack Brereton and Sir Gavin Williamson, together with Charles Boote, without whom this staggeringly successful outcome could not have been achieved.

Please join us on Monday 20^th November 2023 at Yarnfield Park Conference Centre at 7pm to hear the full story of how the disastrous HS2 train crash was averted.

Stone Railhead Crisis Group
5^th October 2023