Repairing water damage in North Yorkshire
Off the beaten track. It's what Green Roads are so good at. But what happens when they begin to fall into disrepair? Is it inevitable that they get closed? Or is there another way? In North Yorkshire, the local TRF team were determined that Deadman's Hill wasn't going to become another lost lane. Would they be able to bring it back to life...? Doug Cartwright reports.
Deadman’s Hill is a key part of our road network in North Yorkshire. It runs between Horsehouse and Middlemoor running across Scar House reservoir dam wall. It connects a large group of roads to the north and south of the Yorkshire Dales that our members use regularly. Without it the detour to connect the route is considerable, 26.9 miles in fact!
Apart from the stunning scenery up there, it has a very interesting heritage and its worth taking some time if you are up there to study the remains of the town that was built to construct the dam walls and infrastructure, and if you are inquisitive you will be able to see where various packhorse drivers mysteriously vanished over the years giving rise to its very distinctive name…Deadman’s!
TTRO…
Following the very heavy weather we experienced in 2015 the surface of the short steep section near the top of the hill became eroded and continued use had left it all but impassable. The road had a temporary TRO placed on it by the North Yorkshire County Council. It was put in place “to protect the public from danger and protect the road from serious damage” and it ran from Apr 2016 and was due to expire in Oct 2017.
This was the third time since 2000 that it has been closed and repaired and our aim was to get it repaired, opened-up again for use in both directions and to ensure that it was sustainable. We did this by connecting with all stakeholders: landowners, users, Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Highways Authority (NYCC) and the Local Access Forum.
We worked very closely with Barrie Mounty from GLASS and our initial position was that we were prepared to fully fund a sustainable repair. In the end NYCC came good and made the repair themselves. I firmly believe had we not done that then there would have been no action and it would have rolled over into another TTRO.
Effort and commitment
At times I thought Deadman’s was very apt name and that Barrie and I would be the next to mysteriously vanish due to fatigue! Being active members of the LAF was very helpful in getting engagement with stakeholders and when I totalled up my correspondence on the subject there were 350 emails, three face-to-face meetings at County Hall (and many corridor conversations, too), site visits and it was discussed at three LAF meetings. I did not keep a record of the phone calls!
What helped enormously was the input and encouragement from the TRF rights of road team and legal advice, namely John Vannuffel and Alan Kind.
For the future, it is essential that we use this green road with thought and care – while the repair is substantial, using it irresponsibly during periods of heavy rainfall has the potential to repeat the process. I would ask that if you notice any deterioration to the road or surrounds, particularly the drainage system, get in touch with us here in T&NYTRF so we can have a look and start a thoughtful dialogue with the NYCC.
