The A29 Church Hill in Pulborough has been closed while West Sussex Council carries out essential safety works on the banks either side of the road. The Council said that while it was able to complete the necessary works on one side of the road, a legal injunction obtained by one of the adjoining landowners shortly before work was due commence meant that the schedule had to be paused.

In a cautionary note to other councils in a similar position, a West Sussex spokesperson said:

“We applied to the court to have the injunction lifted as a priority so we can complete the works. Due to the availability of specialist equipment and the time it takes to move the blocks, we took the decision to keep the road closed whilst we wait for the court’s decision.

[Yesterday] the Court informed us that they will partially lift the injunction, allowing us to carry out the majority of the planned safety works. We will therefore be re-starting the tree works, except for specific trees which remain subject to restrictions.

“In order to do this, we have needed to extend the closure. Whilst an extension of the closure is not ideal, doing so means that we are able to complete more of the required safety work while minimising disruption to local residents.”

Once the works have been completed, the concrete blocks will be re-instated and the council hopes that the road will re-open by Wednesday 6 May.

(Picture: Mapillary)