Dan Rose on the Roundabout 15th Edition 02/01/2025
Happy New Year, All!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and festive period. I fear my body is now constituted of about 50% cheese, but the batteries are well and truly recharged and we are ready to give the roundabout the final push to get it to completion.
Just a short update today, given that the Christmas break has meant that there has been no works over the last couple of weeks.
Coming up over the next few weeks, there are a few key dates upcoming that I would like you to be reminded of:
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Monday 13th January – Nighttime works commence under full road closure. You may notice that just before the Christmas shut down, some advance warning boards went up on the approaches to the roundabout, warning people that these are upcoming. I am aware that they say 6 weeks – however it is likely that the works will take no longer than 5 weeks. The first 2 weeks of the closure will be the construction of the new splitter islands on Ave De Chartres, Westgate and Orchard Street.
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Monday 27th January – All going well with the splitter island construction, then from Monday 27th, resurfacing works will commence. The first week of this will involve the planning off of the existing road tarmac. Meaning that for the first week – the roundabout may seem like it is a bit of a mess when it is open during the day. It will still be safe to drive on – but just potentially quite unsightly.
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Monday 3rd February – Actual surfacing and white lining commences. After the existing tarmac surface courses have been removed and prepared, then fresh tarmac will be going down on the roads and footpaths at night.
Now, while we try our best to make these night works as non-disruptive as the week that we had prior to Christmas, it is likely that these night shifts will be longer than previous, we are allowed to be working on the highway from 8pm – 6am, while unlikely we will be out there until 6am, I expect we will be working well into the early hours of the morning every night. We will be following the same procedure as previous in monitoring the noise we are making, as well as screening all loud activities with acoustic fencing etc and working closely with WSCC and Environmental health to make sure our practices are as considerate as possible.
I am hoping that by next Friday (10th January), we will have all the islands complete, as well as the footpath to the west side of Avenue De Chartres. We will still be working during the day, as our night shifts are ongoing, to ensure that the scheme is all buttoned up with the surfacing works completing in February.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 14th Edition 16/12/2024
Hello everyone,
I hope this update finds everyone well. As my 2-year-old keeps reminding me, it is very nearly Christmas! While I am looking forward to time spent with the family and all of the festivities, a 2-week break is definitely what I am eagerly anticipating the most! I hope that you have all been good this year and find yourselves on the nice list!
I hope my place on said nice list has not been compromised by the noise created during last week’s night work! Some of the local residents were kind enough to provide some feedback after our first night’s work on Monday last week. By all accounts and pretence, the disruption on the first night was minimal, but I am keen to hear how the locals think the rest of the week went regarding our consideration to the locals, noise that was created and most importantly, did we stop anyone from sleeping? I apologise if that is the case, we did make a concerted effort to keep noise levels as low as possible, unfortunately, construction is not a very quiet business most of the time!
The Rotunda – or Dutch-Style Roundabout is getting ever closer to completion. I’m sure you are all excited, more for us to be out of your hair than anything else. Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, before the gain, there is one last bout of pain to endure. Commencing the 13th January 2025, is our last stint of night time working. This will take slightly longer than the week just experienced, and we are hoping to be complete with these nights on or before the 14th February – 5 weeks total. While frustrating, it is necessary to do these works at night. We would never in a million years get a full road closure during the day to complete these works due to the disruption this would cause in an already very congested city, additionally, completing these works at night will make the job far safer for our operatives on the ground. So please bear with us!
Works have progressed very well since my last update. The eastern footpath of Avenue De Chartres is now complete (Other than some final footpath surfacing), Zone B to the east is well underway and the majority of the noisy break out has been done, as well as some island kerbs installed.
Zone D to the west is progressing nicely also, this has been by far the trickiest of the zonal works, but it will be complete prior to the nights on the 13th January. As will Zone B.
Prior to the nights commencing in January, we also have to complete some works to the Western Footpath on Avenue De Chartres. Similar to what was done on the eastern side, we will be narrowing the footpath; widening the road in order to accommodate the new cycle lane on to the roundabout. This will also be completed before the 13th January.
Once the 13th January comes around – you will notice that our daytime presence will decline on the works area. We will still have 1 gang completing tasks on the highway, however, we will have 2 lots of works going ahead at night from this date.
I would like to sign off by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year – I look forward to catching up with everyone in 2025 and handing you all over a shiny new roundabout!
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 13th Edition 03/12/2024
Hello everyone,
I hope everyone is well, keeping warm and out of trouble!
The festive season is getting close, I drove past the lights on East Street last night, and I must admit it did make me feel all warm and fuzzy for a split second at least! It did make me realise how nice a place Chichester is and how lucky I am to live near and work in it!
Also, before we get into the crucks of everything Dutch-style roundabout, I must apologise for this update being a day late, works have ramped up significantly over the last couple of weeks and even finding time to use the lavatory is becoming difficult!
There has been an astronomical amount of progress over the last couple of weeks on site – huge credit to the lads on the ground for rolling up their sleeves and their work ethic and dedication in pushing the project on. It is very easy to want to wind down in the lead up to Christmas, knowing that a couple of weeks off awaits, but fair play to them, the outputs are still excellent.
We have also increased the labour on site, and now have 3 gangs working in 3 different zones. Zone D, Zone E and Avenue De Chartres footpath works are all in progress currently.
Zone E on the South-West quadrant of the roundabout will be finished by the end of the day today – other than a small amount of surfacing on the footpath and final titivation – this means that the barriers will stay in place for the time being just to ensure that public safety is maintained. The gang working in this Zone will then move into Zone B on Wednesday morning – this is the zone that encompasses Wall Cottage drive and West Street (on the east of the roundabout). This zone will likely go on until after the Christmas period into the first week of 2025.
Zone D on the west of the roundabout is progressing nicely – I am confident that all works in this zone will be complete by Christmas. It would be even earlier, however, the gang working in this area will be completing our night time works from the 9th – 13th December and therefore this will halt progress in there for a week.
Ave De Chartres footpath works we are hoping to have complete relatively quickly. We currently reside in the eastern footpath with a temporary walkway and temporary traffic lights in place to the south. This section will be completed before the Christmas shutdown on the 20th December, hopefully sooner. Leaving only the Western side of Avenue De Chartres to complete after Christmas.
I hope the new temporary lights are working ok for everyone – I appreciate that it makes the walk from Westgate – West Street a little bit more long winded, however this is a necessary evil to enable these works to be complete, so I appreciate everyone’s patience and proper use of the provided temporary crossing thus far. I am also happy to report that the lads working in there have not had any grief this time around, therefore no danger money payments are necessary!
In the last week we have also completed some small snagging works down Westgate on phase 1 of the scheme, widening a small section of footpath on the west arm of the mini roundabout, and completing some drainage works on the Westgate Zebra crossing – hopefully getting rid of the puddling problem that has been there for some time!
Earlier in the update – I illuded to the week of nights commencing the 9th of December. We conducted a letter drop last Monday 25/11/2024, to all properties in the vicinity of the roundabout who are likely to be affected by the noise from these works. I sincerely apologise for any disruption that these nights will cause, however, this work is essential to ensure that the roundabout is completed on time! There are some special mitigation measures that we will put in place for these works to try and minimise the amount of disruption to locals. Namely:
- The use of acoustic panels to try and minimise noise pollution from breaking out and cutting activities
- No loud works past 11pm as per our section 61 agreement with Environmental Health.
The nighttime works for the 9th – 13th December will not be under a full road closure – the roundabout will remain open to all vehicles. We will be utilising stop / go boards to close a small lane of traffic off local to where we are working on any one night.
I am sorry to those of you who are in close proximity to the works and will be hearing the noise, we do not like to cause any disruption, if possible. In this case, unfortunately, there is no other option.
Lastly, can I please extend a massive thank you to Ann for her patience and cooperation while we have been working across the entrance to your driveway – you have made my life and the lads working out on the ground extremely easy and your cooperation with the works literally on your doorstep is very much appreciated!
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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To whom it may concern,
I am writing to inform you of some night works upcoming on our Westgate roundabout scheme. We are planning to start these works on the 9th of December 2024 for 5 nights, finishing on 13th of December 2024.
The works are necessary to complete drainage and electrical road crossings which if undertaken during the day would cause an unacceptable level of disruption. We will be working in one area at time and managing traffic with stop and go boards.
We have discussed the works with the Environmental Health Team and will follow strict guidance to minimise the impact of noise. We will not conduct the noisiest works (Breaking out etc) after 11pm. From 11pm onwards, we will only complete quieter tasks such as soft excavation and reinstatement.
Our road space slot for the works commences at 8pm and allows us to work until 6am, although it is likely that on any one night we will be finished far earlier.
These works will enable us to reduce our overall programme and amount of night works at the end of the project. We will though require a full night-time closure to construct new splitter islands and complete all the surfacing and lining and this is programmed to start on 13th of January. A letter detailing these works, including plans of closure points and diversion routes, will be issued to residents well in advance.
I would like to thank you for your patience and apologise for all inconvenience caused by these works, should you wish for any further detail, please do not hesitate to contact me on the information at the foot of this letter
Yours sincerely,
Dan Rose
Site Manager
For and on behalf of Mildren Construction Ltd
T: 07584 259 075
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 12th Edition 18/11/2024
Hello everyone,
I hope everyone is well and is managing to stay warm since the recent cold snap has hit us! I fear that it is likely only to get colder from here until the other side of winter now!
There have been some big changes made over the last couple of weeks on site and progress has been very good. Other than some new street lighting and final surfacing, Zone C (West walls and Orchard Street), is now complete. A bit of titivating, installing topsoil and moving some barriers around is taking place today, but we are now out of that zone!
Zone E works (Westgate and Ave De Chartres) are also progressing nicely. We have completed around 90% of the drainage works now and the new footpath and cycleway layout will begin to take shape over the next week. We are hoping to be out of that zone within the next couple of weeks.
The site team has also seen some changes since my last update, we have a new foreman on site, Steve, who will be assisting me in the operational side of the works and ensuring that the works on the ground are driven and running seamlessly. Steve’s 25+ years of experience is already proving a valuable asset to the team and I thank him for his hard work to date.
We have broken the back as far as the ‘Zone’ work is concerned now. We are more than halfway through these works, and I am hoping that these are complete (or as near as possible) before the Christmas shut down. I am sure you will all be pleased to hear that our works do not continue during the Christmas period. We stop on the 20th of December and return to site on the 2nd of January.
That being said, after Christmas and a much-needed recharge of the batteries, works will be coming thick and fast. We will still have some footpath and centre reservation works to complete on Avenue De Chartres – both the north bound and south bound carriageways, which will include some short footpath closures and pedestrian diversions. Furthermore, we will be commencing on the improvement works on the Westgate block paving. We are still finalising some details with West Sussex County Council on this, but we are aiming to commence with these works from the 6th January. We will of course keep all of the local residents informed of these works and what is detailed with the road closure as a part of it in due course and with plenty of notice.
In addition, in the weeks that follow the Christmas period, we will be fast approaching our final stint of works which includes the construction of 3 new splitter islands on the roundabout, some final drainage and electrical connection works, and the surfacing and white lining works. Unfortunately, due to the A286 being such a busy thoroughfare, these works will be taking place at night. Again, specific details of this are still being ironed out, but we will give as much notice as humanly possible before these works commence. These nighttime works sadly are a necessary evil and will not last forever, but we are expecting there to be around a month (possibly 5 weeks), of nighttime works.
In some more cheery news, I had the honour of speaking at both the West Walls and Westgate residents’ associations AGM’s over the last couple of weekends. It was nice to meet everyone who attended both meetings and overall, the presentation was well received. There were some hard-hitting questions asked regarding the scheme and the works, but I hope that the majority of these questions were answered and those that weren’t will be followed up. To anyone who had questions regarding the design of the new works, which I was unable to comment on. Jubb, the designers of the scheme, have offered a forum in our site meeting room to any locals who wish to get some more answers on the works. So please, if this is something any one is interested in, if there is enough of an appetite, I will happily facilitate this.
I would like to extend my gratitude to both associations for having me talk and the warm reception that I received. I would also like to thank both committees for their generosity and donations made to Macmillan Cancer Support on my behalf. Across both meetings a total of £211.00 was raised for a fantastic charity which holds a dear place in my heart, and the money raised goes a long way to helping those fighting cancer, their families and those in need of palliative care. So from the bottom of my heart – Thank you all.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 11th Edition 04/11/2024
Hello everyone,
I hope you are all well.
Although I walk around Chichester most of the time looking like one – I must say I’ll be pleased not to see another pumpkin for the best part of a year! I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween and didn’t eat too much trick or treat loot!
Zone C and E are both progressing on the roundabout nicely. By the end of this week, Zone C will be nearing completion, with the installation of final drainage and kerbing taking place over the course of the week. Zone E down on the south-west quadrant of the roundabout is also beginning to take shape, with kerbs being installed and drainage works underway.
Let’s talk about *that* footpath diversion last week…
Firstly, I’ll begin by apologising to anyone affected and inconvenienced by the footpath closure leading on to Orchard Street from Wall Cottage drive. It was a necessary evil to close it to complete our works, but unfortunately, the diversion was perhaps not as robust as we would have liked. With a mixture of that, and many commuters choosing to ignore the diversion and walk out in the carriageway, it seemed an accident waiting to happen. We did what was right by public safety and removed the diversion and provided a more direct route for pedestrians to get through by putting in a new safe route through our works zone. It was either that or start paying the lads on the ground danger money for the abuse they were rightly or wrongly receiving! In all honesty the majority of people took it well and as usual have been very nice to us while out working, unfortunately the odd one or two (or ten), did berate the guys working on the ground for the footpath closure. Please, if anyone does take issue with the work, aim the displeasure in my direction, the boys on the ground are only doing their job, and if they were working in an office, I doubt they would be subject to people calling them all sorts of names for doing their work. I ultimately am the one responsible for planning the tasks they are completing and will happily discuss any complaints with people should they deem it necessary to complain.
Over the next couple of weeks, we are again hoping to see some big changes to the look of the scheme. As previously mentioned, Zone C should be complete other than the final surfacing and Zone E should be near completion – meaning that we will move on to occupying the final 2 zones of the job in the coming weeks. The job is really beginning to take shape now and once Christmas has been and gone, we will not be far away from completing the project!
I am delighted to be speaking at both the West Walls and Westgate residents association’s respective AGMs over the next couple of weekends. I would like to thank them for their invites and look forward to (hopefully) giving them a good talk with some Q and A on the project and putting a name to a face!
Thank you all once again for your patience and support, please if anyone would like to discuss the project further, come find me on site or in my office for a coffee. My contact information is also at the bottom of this letter. Unfortunately, no photos this week, but hopefully next update I will have some drone footage and images to share with you all.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 10th Edition 21/10/2024
Hello everyone,
I trust everyone is well.
The roundabout works have ramped up since my last update – meaning we are now taking up a much bigger presence on the roundabout. I apologise profusely for the disruption being caused – mainly to pedestrian traffic. While we are doing our upmost to reduce the impact of our works on all locals and people using the road and adjacent footpaths – we are now unfortunately having to close off sections of footpath and ask people to take the long way around the roundabout.
That being said, in the next couple of days, the footpath which links Wall Cottage Drive and Orchard Street is to be closed for a week or so to accommodate our works. This means that the pedestrian diversion will be in effect from either Tuesday 22/10/2024 or Wednesday 23/10/2024. Please see below and attached the route.
While unfortunate, this diversion and closing of the footpath is essential for us to complete works in ‘Zone C’.
You may also notice that we are taking up some further space down Westgate. These works here will not involve a footpath closure for the time being to allow pedestrians a safe route around the roundabout.
Although I appreciate that it is tempting to take the shortest possible route and shortcut the diversions put in place – I urge everyone to please stick to the diversion set out, this is the shortest and *safest* route around the roundabout. While I appreciate that there is pain in the short term – in the long term, the scheme promises a safer route for pedestrians and cyclists alike around the roundabout so I urge you to bear with us!
In positive news – Zone A on West Street is now complete as far as possible before final road surfacing. We do need to install a couple of lamp columns and belisha beacons, we also need to install some tactile pavers for the new crossings – but other than that the back has been broken in that area. Hopefully this allows you all to see how the rest of the roundabout is likely to look and see what the scheme is trying to achieve.
As far as our anticipated completion date goes – we are still reporting that there are no delays to the anticipated completion date in early 2025, and long may that continue. I can only credit this to our excellent groundworkers and their drive to maintain pushing the job forward.
On a slightly more upsetting note – we were once again victim to a break in on site earlier this month (10/10). Resulting in some rather valuable engineering equipment going missing from our site office. If anyone saw or heard anything on the night of the 10th of October that could help the police with their investigation, the crime reference number is 47240197360.
Moving on, I am delighted to have been asked and invited to speak at both the West Walls and Westgate Resident’s associations respective AGM’s on the 9th and 16th November. I look forward to meeting everyone, putting a face to a name and hopefully addressing any comments or questions that they may have surrounding the scheme.
I would once again like to thank you all for your patience – I appreciate we are becoming a real pain in the rear end, but fortunately, we will not be here forever and once we are gone, there will be a lovely, shiny new roundabout in place.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 9th Edition 07/10/2024
Hello everyone,
I hope that this update finds everyone well, I was doing well this morning until I heard a Christmas song on the radio… In OCTOBER… as if it doesn’t go on for long enough anyway! Halloween hasn’t even been and gone yet! I’m a big fan of Chris Rea, but if it takes him over 2 months to drive home for Christmas, I think he needs a faster car!
The scheme is now well and truly in full swing. As I am writing this, we are heading into the 19th week of the project and still aim to complete in the early part of 2025. Truth be told, works have taken a little longer on Zone A than we would have liked, only due to the magnitude of underground services we have been encountering during excavation works here. Some of them were expected to be there, some uncharted and some expected but far shallower than anticipated. All in all, we are around a week behind where we would like to have been, due to waiting times for statutory bodies requiring what seems to be an eternity to come to site and lower services in the ground which we are not allowed to touch due to their hazardous nature.
While this is frustrating to not quite be as far advanced as we would have liked to have been by this point in time, fortunately a week’s delay is very minimal in the grand scheme of things, and I have every confidence that our excellent operatives on site will claw the lost time back over the next couple of weeks.
We have still made significant progress since my last update 2 weeks ago, and now Zone A is beginning to really take shape. 80% of the kerbs are now in place, leaving only the remaining 20%, footpath edgings, surfacing and some titivating left in the area. We have completed a significant portion of full depth construction to the east of the zone down west street and lowered (to the depth specified in regulations), all of the services which were causing us a headache last week. We have also now backfilled the excavations and brought it to a level ready to receive tarmac, once the kerbs are complete.
The formation of the new ‘Island build out’ is also very nearly done. The purpose of these new islands is to screen and form the cycleway which will be in place around the outside of the roundabout. I feel moving forward, this should give everyone an idea of how the final product will look, and the dimensions of the cycle lane and new footpath lay outs.
We will not have fully completed the works in Zone A at the end of next week, as there is still going to be a fairly substantial amount of footpath works to complete outside the Indian Cottage restaurant and down Avenue De Chartres – We have pushed this down the line however as we believed it was important to keep that thoroughfare open as it experiences the heaviest volume of footfall on the project. Once other sections of footpath works are complete around the roundabout and the new layout is open to the public – then we will drop back and complete the footpath works here.
We intend to commence on our next phase of the works from Monday October 14th. From this date, we will be taking up 2 ‘Zones’ on the roundabout to ramp up the pace of production and get out of everyone’s hair as quickly as possible. The 2 zones we intend to work in are our Zones C and E. These are the branches encapsulating North Walls/Orchard Street and Avenue De Chartres / Westgate. Also during the next period, the long stretch of footpath and soft verge between Westgate and Orchard street will have Morrisons utility services on site, they will be rebuilding and lowering some BT cables and ducting / boxes in order to accommodate the new cycle lane. Their works shouldn’t cause all that much disruption.
While the footpath will remain open on Westgate, we will unfortunately have to close the section of footpath between North Walls / Wall cottage drive and Orchard Street in order to accommodate the works. The pedestrian diversion around this will be to follow the roundabout anticlockwise (the long way around). I must iterate that it is imperative that people do not walk in the road along the outside of our barriers as this is extremely unsafe, and the shuttle lane of traffic is only designed to accommodate vehicles.
The initial phase of the works will involve site clearance of these two zones, this is booked in for 14/10/2024. These clearance works also include the removal of all vegetation from the southern footpath of Westgate, and the majority of it from Orchard Street / North walls (Wall Cottage Drive) – With the Rose bush and bench section here remaining untouched. Unfortunately, the removal of existing kerb stones, cobbles and any hard break out will create some substantial noise – we will do our best to ensure that noisy works are carried out at a considerate time of day, so people are not being woken up by obnoxious drilling and banging.
We are anticipating on programme that works to complete these 2 zones will take a little over 4 weeks – so long as there are few unexpected surprises under the ground.
I really appreciate the kind words from the vast majority of people who have been up and said hello on site over the last couple of weeks regarding the works, these updates and the way in which the lads are conducting themselves. It is really nice to be working in a positive community with people are on board with us and the scheme and this is far beyond the norm for highways works!
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their week.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————Dan Rose on the Roundabout 8th Edition 23/09/2024
Hello everyone,
Winter this morning appears well and truly on the way and perhaps due to recent events on site this reflects the mood of the last couple of weeks.
Some of you will already be aware that we were victim to a theft from our site compound on Friday 13th September of all days. Fortunately, only diesel was stolen, but of course this has a real ripple affect through the whole site team. The police are on board and luckily, we do have CCTV footage of the culprits getting away with some of the diesel, so hopefully the police will be able to find those responsible. If anyone did see anything suspicious on the morning of the 13th around 04:15 – please either get in touch with me or Sussex police, crime reference number is 0153.
As far as the works go, the news is more positive, despite the events in the compound, the lads have been diligently cracking on with the task at hand, and I am happy to report that there has been no slippage in the programme thus far. We are now working in ‘Zone A’ which is the arm of the roundabout at the location of West Street and Avenue De Chartres following on from the completion of the bulk of the work on the new Zebra crossing on Ave De Chartres.
Works completed in the last period, other than the aforementioned include:
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Demolition of all kerbs which are being replaced in Zone A.
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Removal of the vegetation from Zona A which interferes with the new layout.
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Removal of 2no street light columns, which are to be replaced with new later on in the project.
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Reduce dig under MOLA watch and brief ready to commence with new road build up.
On other very positive news, upon commencing the reduce dig to build the widened section of road on West Street, we have unearthed the old West Street – Westgate road surface. This means that we will not have to excavate down to a depth of a meter as originally planned to rebuild the road. In the day and age of looking after the planet and being aware of our carbon footprint, the saving that is made on importing new material, and exporting waste material for this section is huge.
With the positive news of the road saving us some time and effort on one hand, this has however posed a new problem. Buried services from utility companies appear to have been laid directly on top of this old road surface, a lot shallower than regulations dictate. Thus far we have come across an Electric cable, gas pipe, and water pipes which we weren’t expecting to find at such a shallow depth. Fortunately, our groundworkers’ experience has paid dividends, and they have dug in those areas in such
a way that they did not hit the services. This could prove a small delay in the programme as we wait for the relevant utility providers to come and lower their services.
In the coming weeks, once we have completed in our current works area, we will be looking to up the ante slightly. Rather than just working in one zone on the periphery of the roundabout, we are exploring the possibility of moving into 2 zones concurrently. If all goes well, by the time of my next update, we could potentially be working on our Zone C and Zone E. These encompass the arms of the roundabout of Wall Cottage Drive and Orchard Street, and the junction of Westgate with Avenue De Chartres.
Further to this, BT openreach and City Fibre will likely be commencing some diversion works to their network to accommodate our build works. This will be taking place between Westgate and Orchard street.
Works may be getting more disruptive as a result of this I’m afraid. I apologise in advance for any disruption, however by working in this manner, hopefully we will be off of your doorstep quicker!
In lighter news, on Friday 13th, we played the Prebendal School PTA team in our second ever cricket fixture. The game was played in really good spirits with Prebendal edging the game by around 15 runs. A massive thank you to the school for again accommodating this. We will be looking to return the favour and get our own back this Tuesday 24th, where we will be playing a football match at Chichester College vs the same opponents!
As ever, my office door is always open should anyone wish to have a chat. My contact details are at the foot of this email if you have any queries or complaints regarding the works.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 7th Edition 09/09/2024
Hello everyone,
I hope this update finds everyone well and you have all managed to stay out of the biblical-like rain we have experienced at the back end of last week! Unfortunately, the nature of our works means that we were in the thick of it getting very soggy (at least our groundworkers were).
I must apologise for not posting the update last Monday as usual, I was on a much-needed break with the family last week, recharging the batteries getting ready to come back to work and ramp up on the works associated with the scheme.
As many of you will have seen, there have been a number of changes to the works over the last 3 weeks since my last update. Barring the installation of some signage, crossing beacons and final ‘topping’ surfacing, we have completed the works to the new zebra crossing on Avenue de Chartres – on the footpaths anyway. We currently reside in the central reservation of the road there, these works should be completed by close of play Wednesday 11/09/2024 and the traffic management from Avenue de Chartres removed for the time being until the final surfacing works are completed later in the project.
One piece of traffic management being removed means that a new phase is to be set up. As far as changes to the landscape of the operation of the roundabout and surrounding footpaths go, this is by far the most significant change thus far. Wednesday evening 11/09/2024, we will be implementing the first phase of our ‘zoned’ approach to the works on the periphery of the roundabout, constructing the new cycle lane, footpath and all other associated works. This will involve the installation of new drainage, relocating lamp posts, installing the infrastructure for new zebra crossings, and a very small portion of full depth carriageway construction. This area of the works is in the ‘danger zone’ when it comes to potential disturbance of the Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM), so any digging deeper than a few hundred millimetres, will be under the watchful eye of the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).
Zone A is confided to the quintlet of the roundabout at the junction of Avenue De Chartres and West Street. There will be a pedestrian diversion in place, meaning that anyone wishing to walk from either of the aforementioned roads into the other, will have to, unfortunately, take the long way around the roundabout. I apologise in advance for the inconvenience this causes and can sympathise that it is a pain in the rear end to have to do so. It is though, a very important aspect of the works and one which sadly can’t be avoided.
The traffic management plans for each zone of the roundabout are available to view on the Mildren construction WOC part of the website in the community section, I advise anyone with any queries about this phase to have a quick look at that, and please if there are further questions, do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
Since my last update, we have also made good progress on the removal of the splitter islands on the arms of the roundabout. The removal of the Westgate, Orchard Street and Ave De Chartres islands has been complete and reinstated. We are currently working on the removal of the island on West Street. I am anticipating that this is reinstated by close of business on Wednesday 11/09/2024, ready to commence with the zoned works the day after.
In other news, should the rain ever cease, then we are playing a further cricket fixture on Friday 13th September on the Prebendal school field, this time against their Parent’s and Teacher’s association team. I invite anyone who would like to watch some properly hap-hazard cricket to come and join us for the evening. The first ball will be bowled at 17:30.
I would like to finish the update by thanking the members of the West Walls Residents association who were kind enough to invite me to the Chichester Inn for a drink last week (after work of course). It was a really good opportunity to catch up and discuss the works, as well as putting some names to faces. During this project, we have made great efforts to engage with all stakeholders, especially those who have our works on their doorstep. This effort and communication has more than been reciprocated by them, and I thank them for their support and understanding during our works.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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CRICKET NEWS!!
Mildren Cricket Team match report 20/08/2024
Mildren Construction’s West of Chichester project has its compound situated on the playing field of Prebendal School. Having developed an excellent working relationship with the school and its staff, the opportunity arose to use their wonderful facility for Mildren Construction’s first ever cricket match.
While slightly apprehensive before the first ball was bowled, due to having a largely inexperienced team, Mildren won the toss and decided to bowl first, sporting our very catching high vis polos, vs a vastly more experienced Fittleworth CC side. Fittleworth made a fast start, clocking up some quick runs, leading to their opening batsman retiring on 25* within the first 3 overs of play. However, with some tidy bowling from Simon French and Dan Russell, Mildren managed to slow the run rate, with Dan Russell breaking the deadlock in the 6th over, taking the wicket of Fittleworth’s no.3 batsman.
Fittleworth continued to score steadily in the following overs, the first change of bowling came in the 8th over where Zak Barber took the ball, playing in his first ever cricket match, and bowled his 3 over spell admirably, and was unlucky on a couple of occasions not to take a wicket.
The next breakthrough came via another cricketing newbie, Adam McClure with only his 3rd ever delivery bowled a tidy line and length, forcing the Fittleworth opening batsman into playing a high looping shot, which was expertly handled at mid-wicket by Zak Barber for Mildren’s 2nd wicket of the innings in the 11th over.
The next change of bowling saw Captain, Dan Rose come into the attack, having donned the wicket keeping gloves for the first 10 overs of the innings. In his 3 over spell, taking 3 wickets for 18 runs.
The final wicket of the innings came from the only player not to work for MCL but for a company who are part of our supply chain, Chris Sumner. The Fittleworth batsman attempted to pull a shorter delivery, only to find a top edge and loop it high up in the sky, the catch was taken at square leg by Dan Rose.
Mildren managed to keep Fittleworth’s total for their 20 overs down to 148 for 6, which is very respectable from both teams, and a good target for Mildren to try and beat.
The batting got off to a less than favourable start for Mildren, Dan Rose had succumbed to a 3rd ball duck having opened the batting. Dan Boorn and James Evans were in the middle and began to rack up some singles with some sensible batting. After a spirited performance in the middle, Dan Boorn was the next wicket to fall, bringing Rob Collins to the crease.
Rob and James put up a real fight and ran very quickly between the wickets and seemed to be putting on the first real partnership of the innings. Some tricky bowling from Fittleworth saw Rob Collins as the latest player to be dispatched from the crease, seeing Adam McClure come to the middle. After scoring a handful of runs, Adam was the next victim to Fittleworth’s wiley spin bowler.
Chris Sumner was next to do battle and steadied the Mildren ship along with James Evans, both accumulating a handful of runs before it was time for James to head back to the bench. For someone who hasn’t played Cricket since his school days, his performance with the bat was admirable and meant Mildren still had a chance in the game.
Zak Barber came in at 7, and unfortunately faced Fittleworth’s best bowler of the evening, getting out to only what can be described as a jaffa of a delivery with his first ball faced. Not a lot he could have done.
Dan Russell was next into bat, and between him and Chris Sumner, put on the biggest partnership of the Mildren innings, scoring over 40 runs between them. Dan Russell scored an impressive 24 runs with the bat, including a massive 6 and some very accomplished shots to find the boundary, before being given out LBW.
Colin Cann was the latest team member to face the Fittleworth attack, another member of the team who has never played the game before. Colin did well to get bat on ball and ran well between the wickets with Chris until he was out bowled.
Simon French then came to the crease to test his wits against the rampant Fittleworth attack and was very unlucky to be caught at extra cover, by a catch that can only be described as sensational, diving low to the players left.
Fittleworth were kind enough to allow Mildren to continue batting out the remainder of the 20 overs once all 10 wickets had been taken, a smattering of further runs was scored in the remaining 2 overs. With Chris Sumner finally receiving his marching orders for 34 runs – a fantastic effort.
Mildren Construction finished on 95 all out from their 20 overs – an excellent score for a team full of inexperience, but plenty of fight, we certainly did not make fools of ourselves, and the game was played in good spirits and was competitive throughout.
Mildren would like to extend their thanks to Fittleworth who proved gracious opponents, for what was a fantastic night of sport. We would also like to thank Prebendal school for allowing us to use their pitch, and to Martin, their facilities manager for using his contacts to put on a pop-up bar for the evening and a BBQ, which was enjoyed by all. He also prepared an outstanding surface for the game to be played on.
POTM for his performance with bat and in the field – James Evans
Mildren Team:
Dan Rose (C, WK)
Dan Boorn
James Evans
Rob Collins
Adam McClure
Chris Sumner
Zak Barber
Dan Russell (WK)
Colin Cann
Simon French
Dan Rose on the Roundabout 6th Edition 19/08/2024
Hello everyone,
Works on the Westgate roundabout scheme are progressing nicely, we are still reporting no time loss on the original completion date for early next year – which in this industry and given the challenges we have faced thus far, is a very good achievement. (Not like that I like to blow my own trumpet!)
You may have noticed that our presence on the roundabout itself has dwindled slightly over the last couple of weeks – this is purely because the roundabout itself is near enough finished, other than the addition of a little bit of concrete and tidying up!
We have moved on to our next phase of the works, which includes the installation of a new shared pedestrian / cycle Zebra crossing on Avenue De Chartres – opposite the entrance to the college.
The works for this include, creating a new shared cycle / pedestrian footpath by widening the current footpath for a short stretch. Installation of new electrical connections for 4 new belisha beacons. Relocating the live parking traffic sign 15 yards north of its current location. Installing new warning paving. Resurfacing the footpath, and the installation of new surface water drainage, including a new manhole.
As mentioned in my safety alert last week, we have unfortunately had to close the footpath and create a pedestrian diversion along the western footpath of Avenue De Chartres in order for us to complete our works on the eastern side of the road. I apologise for any disruption that this has caused. We have managed to maintain pedestrian access to the gravel footpath which runs parallel to the prebendal school from Ave De Chartres to South Street, and provided a very narrow access to the grass footpath which runs along the Roman Wall. We are currently working with our traffic management company on how we can better alter the current diversion to make it more friendly to those with disabilities who may struggle crossing by the roundabout at the bottom of Ave De Chartres due to the high traffic flow and the speed at which people take that turn.
I will reiterate the statement from the safety alert however, that it is imperative that people follow the diversion and do not attempt to walk in the carriageway around our barriers – it is a great risk to the people who choose to walk in the road because of the narrow lane and the traffic, but it also endangers our workforce, as vehicular users can be unpredictable and this could force them to drive in to our barriers. I thank you all for your patience thus far and to the vast majority of people who are adhering to the temporary diversions.
Unfortunately, there will be some further disruption in the coming weeks for pedestrians around the periphery of the roundabout. We will be removing the splitter islands commencing tomorrow that currently sit in situ. These are being relocated as a part of our works anyway, but doing this early, will allow wider running lanes for traffic, and will enable us to manoeuvre our traffic management to suit while we work on the outside arms of the roundabout, to allow us to keep all roads and arms open while we work. So please, while I appreciate that having to temporarily close pedestrian crossing points is an inconvenience, please bear with us, these works are essential to the scheme.
In other news, we have finally managed to secure a date for our Mildren Cricket match and it’s TOMORROW!!! We are playing against Fittleworth Cricket Club at the Prebendal School field, and we would love some support if anyone would like to come and watch some very haphazard cricket! There will also be a pop-up bar for the match, so if anyone would like to stop by for a sherbet, please be our guest!
Lastly, I would like to thank the patience of the local residents, and some of your kind words and correspondence of late. It certainly makes this job easier to run, when we know we have the backing of the local community.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
Roundabout mini-update 07/08/2024
Hello everyone,
Very quick update regarding the works on the central roundabout.
We have now installed 95% of the Tarmac base and binder courses which is a big milestone achieved in the project.
I have emailed the local resident’s associations this morning regarding some works which are happening within close proximity of the tree in the centre island.
We have had to shift the line of the fencing protecting the tree in order to conduct our final shaping and landscaping works for the grass area behind the new kerbs. Without moving the fencing this works would be entirely impossible and we would have ended up with sheer banks behind the kerb stones which would look very unsightly.
I just wanted to ensure all stakeholders that the methodology we are following to conduct these works is all within our Arboricultural method statements that we are following to conduct these works safely without causing damage to the tree. Furthermore, we have worked closely with the tree team at West Sussex County council’s tree department, consulting them on how they would like the works to be conducted. Additionally, should we uncover any thing during these works which we believe is room for concern – example, a root greater in diameter than 1 inch – then we would seek consultation from a qualified ecologist whom we employ regularly to ensure that we are not doing anything which may cause damage to the tree.
I hope that this puts any questions to bed and minds at ease – should anyone wish to discuss further, please feel free to get in touch – my details are below.
Kind regards,
Dan Rose – Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
T: 07584259075
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 5th Edition 05/08/2024
Hello everyone,
I write this update trying not to melt in my office from the persistent hot weather that we have been having over the course of the last week. It appears to have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous! Mind you, we aren’t British if we don’t complain about the weather, regardless of how nice it is!
The new roundabout footprint is now very nearly finished. At the time of writing this, we are installing the final few kerbs to form the roundabout. Other than laying kerbs, in the last 2 weeks we have also completed the installation of 6 new surface water gullys, around half of the sub-base stone is now installed, and we have installed new under ground ducting for 5 illuminated signs which will be installed in the next few weeks.
We are still currently on programme to complete works in early 2025 as planned. While we have experienced delays throughout the first phase of these works for various reasons, our excellent groundworkers have put in the hard work to mitigate the delay and keep us on target. I would like to thank them for their efforts, especially in the blazing heat this week – I will certainly be treating them to a drink in the Crate and Apple after work on Friday!
In the next week, there will be more big change happening in our current work zone. We will be installing the first 2 courses of Tarmac to create a running lane for later in the works when we complete the external works. We will also be tidying up the soft landscaped area in the centre of the roundabout. Further to this, we will be installing a concrete ring in between the two rings of kerbs. Come Friday 9th August – other than a few minor works and the final surface course – the works on the central island will be complete.
We will be moving on to different elements of the job after this. The splitter islands which currently sit in place on all the arms of the roundabout – other than Wall Cottage Drive / West Walls will be getting removed and tarmac in their place, this will allow again wider running lanes later on in the job. The removal of these is arduous and quite labour intensive, so could take a few weeks to complete.
Furthermore, we will be commencing with the installation of a new Zebra crossing and associated drainage and groundworks down Avenue De Chartres – by our compound. There will be a footpath closure in place for these works, starting with the eastern footpath, moving over to the western footpath after a couple of weeks. So please expect a small amount of disruption for this. We will have all the appropriate signage out to forewarn people of these. These works will commence on the 9th of August.
Away from our main works, last week we conducted a couple of trial holes on Westgate. These were dug to give us a better understanding of the condition of the road below the paving blocks. We were able to assess the condition of the existing drainage and road formation itself. We have had some tests conducted to determine the strength of the subbase and are currently awaiting the results back for these. We had an Ad-hoc meeting with the West Gate Resident’s Association on Thursday 1st April to discuss options for the works and hear some of their preference on the finished road and how it should be finished, which will be reported back to the client and local authorities and their comments have been duly noted. We also had the privilege of discussing these works with the Mayor of Chichester – Councillor Sarah Quail, who is an active member of the resident’s association. I would like to thank her, the RA’s secretary, Bebette and the other members in attendance for their time.
As always, the door to my office is always open should any one wish to pop in for a chat and my contact details are at the bottom of this update.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 4th Edition 22/07/2024
Hello everyone,
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather which finally appears to be returning to Chichester, certainly the city seems to be the busiest I’ve seen recently since my time joining the project. Perhaps this could be the introduction of the large Owl statues which seemed to have invaded out of nowhere throughout Chi’, my young family and I certainly had a lot of fun hunting them all down at the weekend! Anyway, I digress…
The Roundabout project has had a busy couple of weeks, lots of tasks achieved, lots of unforeseen items in the ground but ultimately and importantly, no time lost to the end date.
Since the last update, we have completed the vast majority of the surface water drainage pipework. This includes tapping into the existing drainage network in a few locations, and utilizing a manhole which had been buried in the roundabout for goodness knows how long (It was still operational and connected to the network).
All the kerbs from the existing roundabout footprint have now been removed, and in the coming weeks, you will see the new roundabout footprint be constructed with 2 rings of kerbs. From my perspective, this is the first real milestone that will be achieved in the project, as we will be able to see a little of what the finished product will look like on the ground, and not just what we see on drawings.
There have been 2 significant finds in the roundabout – not archaeologically speaking, but in regard to the project. I illuded to a culvert drainage channel underneath the existing road being uncovered in my last update. In the last fortnight, this has been confirmed as redundant, dug out and filled in with concrete to remove the risk of the new road structures’ integrity being compromised once complete. Furthermore, we also came across a soakaway which is believed to be from the late 1800’s, which fortunately, was not in the new road, and was able to leave in situ, filling it with shingle to ensure no sinkage in the roundabout.
Although the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), watch and brief is now concluded, we still paid our due diligence in ensuring that an archaeologist came to site and inspected these items before removing, digging out or backfilling. I will attach images of both to this update.
The CCTV/ANPR camera which stood tall on the Southeast of the roundabout has now been removed after being decommissioned back at the beginning of June. This was proving to become a real thorn in our side and we are grateful to have been able to remove it safely and efficiently one evening under a very short duration road closure (It took about 5 minutes).
In other news, our engagement with the local community remains an ongoing endeavour of mine, and we had the chance on the 18th of July to conduct a live tracking exercise with Stagecoach at Tangmere military airfield. This involved setting out the new roundabout in its entirety with traffic cones, and allowing Stagecoach to complete a drive through exercise to ensure that the planned analysis of the busses’ turning circles was indeed correct. They expressed particular concerns prior to the exercise, of busses turning out of West Street into Avenue De Chartres as it appeared to be tight on the drawings. However, the exercise proved that this was possible to do safely. (I even managed to have a go driving the bus and completed the turn a few times myself – so it can’t be that difficult!)
We are currently undertaking fortnightly meetings with West Sussex County Council with a particular focus on communications and how we are engaging with the community surrounding the project. Thus far the feedback has been very positive, and I would like to thank our Mildren and WSCC teams on facilitating the communications and maintaining the attitude that local residents are the most valuable stakeholders in this project, as we are working right on your doorstep.
As always, the door to my office is always open should any one wish to pop in for a chat and my contact details are at the bottom of this update.
Warm regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout 3rd Edition 08/07/2024
Works are progressing nicely on the construction of the new Westgate Roundabout. Good progress has been made in the last fortnight and we are still currently on schedule to complete the works in early 2025 as planned.
Works complete in the last period:
- Reduce dig. Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), watch and brief is now complete. While there were numerous archaeological finds throughout the reduce dig of the roundabout. These were all recorded by MOLA and removed once properly plotted. There were no finds deemed to be of historical significance during the works.
- Commence with new surface water drainage. There is a new stormwater manhole which has now been constructed on the western side of the roundabout, ready to take the flow from new surface water gullies. We have conducted some investigation and cleaning works of the existing storm water drainage system, which we have utilised and connected in to.
- Removal of kerbs from the existing roundabout.
- Making safe a High Voltage cable which passes through the roundabout from East to West. This has been exposed carefully using vacuum excavation, backfilled around with sand and covered with tape to protect the cable from being damaged during our backfilling process and protect the longevity of the cable in situ.
- Install new capping material to 90% of the area which has been dug.
We have uncovered a significant amount of tarmac to the south side of the roundabout – believed to have been the road which connected Westgate and West Street prior to the construction of the existing roundabout in the 1960’s. In a bid to reduce the amount of waste which we have to send to landfill, and reduce the new material being imported in to site, it has been agreed that this tarmac may be re-used in the new road construction, as the make up of the old road is of strong enough construction to re-use. This will help reduce the environmental impact and carbon footprint of the works greatly which is very good news!
Works in the next period include:
- Installation of all pipework for new surface water drainage.
- Installation of kerbs to the footprint of the new roundabout.
In other news – We have heard that the parents of Prebendal school are keen to participate in a cricket match against a Mildren Construction XI in the coming weeks. We will post an update on the website with details of the game, should anyone wish to watch the game and meet the team who work behind the scenes and make these works possible.
I would again like to thank everyone for their continued patience. We will continue to do all we can to minimise disruption and continue to communicate as best as possible with all stakeholders in the project.
Kind regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
T: 07584 259 075
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Dan Rose on the Roundabout update 20/06/2024
Works on the roundabout are ongoing and progressing nicely. We have completed more than half of the ‘Cut and cap’ exercise which involves digging out the earth from the existing roundabout footprint and installing our capping layer underneath the location of the new carriageway. Works have been slightly slower than anticipated for a number of reasons, namely due to finding the remains of buildings which were demolished in the 1960’s and serving due course in ensuring that these remains were not of significant historical interest. We are still working with the Museum of London Archaeology under a watch and brief to ensure that nothing of historical interest is damaged or disturbed as a part of our works. Further to the archaeology, we have also uncovered several unchartered services such as redundant drainage which has had to be removed as it could have negatively impacted the performance of the completed road. To the east and the west of the roundabout dig, there is also a live low voltage electric trunk main which powers a substantial amount of the Chichester shopping district, which we are having to take great care working around not to damage it.
Works for the next fortnight include:
- Completion of the cut and cap exercise.
- Removal of the existing kerbs.
- Commence with new surface water drainage
Many people may have noticed that the building remains that were in the east side of the roundabout have now been removed. Whilst regrettable to have to do, I would like to establish the following points:
- The remains were of no historical significance, the buildings were estimated to have been built in the 1800’s or early 1900’s.
- The remains removed were not Richard Gill’s residence.
- The buildings were demolished and built over in the 1960’s as a part of the existing road construction.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have held very positive meetings with the West Walls and Westgate resident’s associations. The meetings were a good opportunity to put faces to names, answer concerns relating to the job, and engage with local stakeholders who are likely to be most affected by our works. We will continue to maintain an established line of contact with these stakeholders and look forward to strengthening what has begun as a good working relationship with them. I would like to thank them for their time and welcome any other residents to express their concerns or raise any questions with me as they have done.
Furthermore, as part of our public engagement and integration in the local community, we are currently trying to set up a cricket match between a Mildren Construction XI and the Prebendal School parents’ team. Watch this space for updates!
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD.
T: 07584 259 075
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
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A note from Dan Rose, our site manager, on his role and on the archaeology:
Progress pictures June 2024
The Works
Construction of a Dutch-style roundabout to replace the existing roundabout at the Westgate / Orchard Street (A286) / Avenue do Chartres (A286) / West Street junction, including improved non-motorised user provision throughout, narrowing of the circulatory carriageway to incorporate the perimeter 2m cycleway, removal/relocation of existing controlled crossings on the Orchard Street and Avenue de Chartres arms and realignment of the existing layby adjacent to the Chichester Inn.
Dutch Style Roundabout Website GA(2)
Dutch Style Roundabout Website GA(1)
November 2023 update
Following completion of the works at Westgate mini-roundabout and Sherborne Road, construction was due to commence at Westgate Orchard Street roundabout to deliver the planned ‘Dutch-style’ roundabout and associated highways improvements. During the statutory consultation period relating to the proposed works, it was identified a Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) was required in respect of the registered monument known as ‘Chichester City Walls, The Tower, Orchard Street, Chichester Scheduled Monument’. This consent is required to permit works in and around the SMC and if granted, specifies any constraints on the planned construction works.
The process to secure the SMC and associated Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) for archaeological monitoring during the construction phase is currently ongoing, and until granted, no works can start at the Westgate Orchard Street roundabout.
The works to deliver the proposed Dutch style roundabout at the Westgate Orchard Street junction have therefore been put on hold until March 2024, in order to ensure the SMC and associated WSI is approved and in place in respect of the delivery of the works, and to ensure the works can be delivered efficiently, effectively and with appropriate measures to protect and preserve the Scheduled Ancient Monument as required. Again, advanced warning of works starting at this location will be undertaken in due course.
It is expected at this time the works to complete the Westgate Orchard Street roundabout alongside the improvements to the existing carriageway block paving within Westgate itself will be completed by the end of 2024, however this is subject to grant of the SMC and any impacts arising from the archaeological watching brief. Completion of these works will conclude the overall package of works required to deliver the planning obligations on the Developer, providing improvements to the existing highway network surrounding the proposed development site at White House Farm.
June 2024 Update – letter to residents
Additional road works – Westgate and Sherborne Road
19/06/2024
To Whom it may concern,
I am writing to inform you that we have some additional works upcoming in the area as a part of the West of Chichester scheme. These items are mainly snagging, and remedial works left from the first phase.
While the majority of the works remain non-disruptive, other than small areas of footpath closures. The works which are likely to cause the most disruption is the following:
- Westgate southern footpath to the east of the mini roundabout – raising the footpath drainage gully, raising kerbs to prevent ponding, lowering the tactile pavers on the zebra crossing – 25/06/24 for 3 days.
- Westgate mini roundabout (General) – Plane out and resurface all footpath areas where there are scars and temporary tarmac from the electrical installation for the zebra crossing beacons – 01/07/24 for 2 days.
- Sherborne Road, micro trenching from the junction of Oak Avenue to the nearest lamp column to the south. This will involve trenching across the driveway entrances of no’s 80, 78 and 76 Sherborne Road. We will always maintain access to driveways and ensure the works are temporarily reinstated once works are complete – 28/06/2024 for 1 day
- Sherborne Road, plane out and resurface footways surrounding 2 new zebra crossings, by Dunford Close and Oak Avenue, again, the works near Oak Avenue will involve tarmac laying to the driveway entrance of 80, 78 and 76 Sherborne Road – 03/07/2024 for 1 day
I apologise in advance for any inconvenience these works may cause, we will do our upmost to ensure that we minimise disruption. If you wish to discuss any of these works further, please contact me – my details will be at the foot of this letter. We will inform you with as much notice as possible should these dates above change for any reason.
Kind regards,
Dan Rose.
Site Manager – Mildren Construction LTD.
T: 07584 259 075
E: Dan.Rose@mildrenconstruction.co.uk
May 2024 Update
Significant progress has been made, whereby Clay Lane 278 works is complete and is in the auditing stage. Sherbourne Road is complete and awaiting auditors to carry out surveys and reports – there may be additional works required after auditors their complete reports and further updates can be provided at this stage.
November 2023 Update
Works are nearing completion, with only minor works to complete roadmarkings, footways and final signage to be completed. It is anticipated works will be concluded by the end of November 2023.
Due to delays in electrical connections to be undertaken to provide the belisha beacons at the new controlled crossings, the works to deliver the final crossings will be completed at a later date. Until the works to provide connections to the beacons can be completed, the white lining including ‘zebra’ crossing markings will not be installed, and only dropped kerbs and tactile paving will be provided. This is necessary to ensure the safety of users at the proposed crossings. Works to complete the final crossings will be minor and short-term, and advanced notification of works recommencing at tthese areas will be undertaken in due course to all those likely to be affected.
The Works
Pedestrian and cycle improvements at the existing mini-roundabout junction of Sherborne Road and Westgate, including introduction of new uncontrolled pedestrian crossings across the western and southern arms, and new parallel crossings across the northern and eastern arms. Works will include pavement reconstruction, new street lighting, adaptations, and improvements to drainage, resurfacing of existing carriageways, renewal of traffic signs & vehicle restraint barrier.
Works to renew and relay the existing block paving to offer a better and safer route for cyclists. Improvements to the road narrowing stand outs to make safer for cyclists. Minor safety improvements to uncontrolled junction crossings for pedestrians – installing tactile paving slabs.
Improvements to the existing cycle bypass points from the western end of Westgate to Tannery Close together with remedial works to the existing block paviours in the area of The Narrows up to Orchard Street Roundabout. The Westgate / Orchard Street Dutch Style Roundabout works are to be completed in advance of the block paviours works.
Westgate_Sherbourne Roundabout Website GA
Westgate Pavement repair website GA(2)
Westgate Pavement repair website GA(1)
Construction of a priority junction to the proposed development site and Clay Lane and, Junction alterations at the existing junction of Clay Lane with Fishbourne Road East, including narrowing of the existing junction bellmouth, and associated footway and cycleway improvements.
November 2023 Update
Works are nearing completion, with only minor works to complete roadmarkings, footways and final signage to be completed. It is anticipated works will be concluded by the end of November 2023.
Due to delays in electrical connections to be undertaken to provide the belisha beacons at the new controlled crossings, the works to deliver the final crossings will be completed at a later date. Until the works to provide connections to the beacons can be completed, the white lining including ‘zebra’ crossing markings will not be installed, and only dropped kerbs and tactile paving will be provided. This is necessary to ensure the safety of users at the proposed crossings. Works to complete the final crossings will be minor and short-term, and advanced notification of works recommencing at these areas will be undertaken in due course to all those likely to be affected.
The Works
Traffic management works on Sherborne Road, including renewing carriageway markings, introduction of gateway features and carriageway roundels, two new Zebra crossings, two new min-roundabouts and a new uncontrolled crossing and road narrowing. Works will include pavement reconstruction, new street lighting, adaptations, and improvements to drainage, resurfacing of existing carriageways and new traffic signs.