Dowles Road: Bewdley road to be closed for five days

Dowles Road is set to be closed from Monday, November 18 to Friday, November 22 to facilitate utility work on the new housing development. 

There will be no access for emergency service vehicles and many residents have been left concerned over the prospect of a long detour to get into town. 

Resident Carolynne Ward said: "Our main concern was the 25km detour for ambulances and carers. There are hundreds of residents that will be affected by the closure and a lot of them are very elderly. 

"We also had concerns over the added fuel costs by travelling further due to the detour and the danger of the road as the nights are getting darker a lot earlier." 

Dowles Road (Image: NQ/Lauren Chaloner) After raising a number of concerns including the impact on vulnerable people in the community and added fuel costs, residents were pleased to hear that Severn Trent had addressed some of their concerns. 

Ms Ward said Severn Trent and contractors Avove had discussed the possibility of parking permits for residents to use Dog Lane car park which would help them avoid having to make the long detour. 

There are also proposals to provide additional shuttle bus and school bus services to minimise the impact on residents. 

Residents were out and about over the weekend delivering leaflets about the parking permits and helping to raise awareness of the closure. 

Ms Ward added: "I think it really goes to show the difference it can make when you work together. We're grateful that Severn Trent has listened to us and although the closure is still going ahead, we really appreciate the efforts that have been made to find a solution.

"The closure is still going to be a measure of inconvenience and the impact on emergency services is still a concern that people should know about, but they have been notified about the closure and it is great to see Severn Trent work hard to provide us with some practical help." 

Residents delivering leaflets about parking permits (Image: Carolynne Ward)

The latest closure comes after plans for a 19-day road closure on Dowles Road was cancelled following concerns from residents. 

The contractors worked hard with Worcestershire County Council to enable National Grid and Cadent works to be carried out without a road closure, but they have confirmed that the Severn Trent works are different and a road closure is the only viable option. 

The teams have apologised for any inconvenience and assured residents they will complete the work as quickly as possible. 

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: "Dowles Road is a narrow rural road, and whilst a solution was found to enable the National Grid and Cadent works to be carried out without a road closure, with the Severn Trent works the situation is different. 

"To be able to do this work safety, and maintain the safety of motorists, residents and Severn Trent operatives, the only option is a full road closure, with no through access. We appreciate that this will be a long diversion route, which is regrettably unavoidable.

"Our Streetworks team will be monitoring these works and have highlighted to Severn Trent that these works must be completed within the five-day window, subject to any unforeseen circumstances." 

A spokesperson for Severn Trent said: "We’re sorry for the disruption these works will cause, this is essential work which will see us connect new houses to our network.

"We have worked with the council to look at the diversion route intensely to try to minimise the impact, however due to the nature of the works, this is the only option that was available to ensure the safety of the public and our workers.

"We will be working to ensure the job is completed as quickly as possible." 

Ms Ward is set to talk at the Bewdley Town Council meeting today (Monday, November 11) at 6pm and has urged other residents to join her if they would like to know more about the closure.