Landslide hit Stourbridge road to re-open one-way (From Stourbridge News)

Landslide hit Stourbridge road to re-open one-way

6:00pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News

A BUSY Stourbridge road that has been closed following a landslide is set to re-open to one-way traffic next week.

Temporary work to stabilise a crumbling high wall in Red Hill is being carried out and is expected to be completed on Monday March 11.

The situation, sparked by a collapse on Christmas Eve, has been causing chaos for residents in the area as buses that use the route have been diverted along narrow Cranbourne Road.

But the problems look set to ease slightly following completion of £10,000 worth of temporary work to shore up the bank with wooden rakes and shuttering and to install a concrete barrier and fencing to create a pedestrian walkway.

The road, a popular bus and school run route, will then be able to re-open to one-way traffic from Heathlands to Glasshouse Hill, down towards Glasshouse Hill.

Meanwhile Dudley Council and West Midlands Police, who are thought to be responsible for the wall, have been trying to determine who owns the land before permanent, and likely costly, work to restore the wall and reintroduce two-way traffic in Red Hill can take place.

However, it has emerged the issue of ownership of the wall surfaced in 2008 when resident Colin Broadbent replaced a section further down from the collapsed part.

Mr Broadbent said the council’s environment, engineering and transport department was notified that two large sycamore trees “appeared to be putting the wall under stress”.

No action was taken, however, as “there was a dispute about the ownership of that section of wall”.

The resident added: “It looks like the council are now scurrying around trying to find answers to questions they could have resolved years ago.

“If they had got to grips with it earlier then perhaps the expensive shoring up operation would be unnecessary and the time taken to get the road back in service would be considerably shorter.”

Mr Broadbent added: “The sycamore trees are still there and the wall is still under stress.

“Whilst the road is closed I would have thought these trees, ivy and other overhanging foliage could be removed from this section of wall to lessen the likelihood of a repeat performance in a few years time.”