Drivers have known it for months – if not years – but it’s only now that Kirklees Council has admitted that a cliff-edge road behind the John Smith’s Stadium is a danger to motorists and pedestrians alike.

Huddersfield Hub reported 18 months ago that work was to be carried out on pothole-riddled Bradley Mills Road which runs up to Rawthorpe and Dalton.

But it is only now that a planning application has been submitted for remedial works that the full extent of the problems have been revealed.

A report published as part of the planning application admits there are “safety issues” and that the road is no longer wide enough by modern standards.

Drivers often have to slow down to a crawl in the narrowest parts to avoid clipping wing mirrors with oncoming vehicles.

A chain link fence close to the former Dalton Grange wedding venue no longer prevents cars and other vehicles from straying towards the edge, causing erosion.

 

 

The council has already allocated up to £5 million for Bradley Mills Road and a land slip repair near Holme Moss but the work needed at Bradley Mills Road is said to be complex.

The council plans to widen the road to at least six metres and footpaths to 1.5 metres.

A new kerb will be added on the Dalton Grange side while the slope on the opposite side will be dug into to widen the road with a new pedestrian barrier installed.

The existing steps linking Bradley Mills Road to Brown Royd Avenue will be replaced and reconstructed once works on the slope are complete. Hedges and planting will replace the chain link fence on the side of Dalton Grange.

 

 

Until planning permission is granted there is no date for the start of work but the scheme will take six months to complete.

It will mean the full closure of Bradley Mills Road, which will put extra strain on the already congested Leeds Road, especially when Huddersfield Town are at home.

A planning document says: “The existing highway and footway are too narrow by current standards and the highway surfacing is in a poor state of repair.

“The narrow footway is a particular concern due to the high volume of pedestrian traffic during stadium events.

“There is also inadequate edge restraint on the north side of the highway which allows vehicles to over-run the highway edge, causing erosion and a safety issue to road users.

“Additionally, there is inadequate surface water drainage and uncontrolled surface water run-off is contributing to erosion on the north side of the highway.”

The report also says that 1,500 square metres of woodland and a “significant” number of trees will have to be removed. To compensate for the loss of trees the council will be planting 1,650 square metres of new woodland in adjacent fields.

 

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