Overnight closures to Market Street

Ringway have announced that there will be overnight closures to Market Street, between 9th March & 22nd March but as yet the full details aren't available.

Ringway have a blog to keep us up to date on the happenings.

Toilet back after 3 years.

The much delayed Market Street toilets are expected to open tomorrow.

It is now nearly 3 years since the Market Street wall collapsed after flash flooding in July 2007. The sluice valves that should have allowed the water to escape into the brook had not been maintained and had rusted closed. With nowhere to go the pressure and weight of the water caused the wall to collapse.

Read the full history of the wall (according to me)

Malvern District Council's version

BBC News

Wall's vital statistics called into question.

Confusion all round at tonight's Tenbury Town Council meeting as some Councillors claimed that the Market Street wall is 0.5 metres higher than agreed.

Questions were also raised about the missing drop kerb for the zebra crossing, the installation of a road sign with the support in the middle of the pathway, the quality and finish of the paving and various other questions.

One rumour that was squashed was that the missing coping stone hadn't been removed by New Year revellers, but had been sent away to be machine cut to fit the remaining gap.

Countdown to Christmas

The countdown to Christmas started tonight in Tenbury Wells with the switching on of the new Christmas Street decorations.

After discovering last year that most of the lights were either damaged or obsolete, fund raising has been taking place to purchase new lights.

Now blue and white twinkling lights decorate the street scene in Teme Street. Some of the older coloured lights have been used in Market Street and Cross Street.

The blue and white theme has been continued in decorating the Christmas Tree in Market Square.

Toilet Design Competition - Result

Tenbury Mayor, Cllr Richard Jones, and District Cllrs Phil Grove & Tony Penn pose for photographs with the Project Manager and the Architect of the winning design.

The winning design emerged as clear favourite during the public consultation exercise held earlier this year. Following meetings with the planners, conservation officer and other council officials it was agreed that the popular design was suitable and could be built.

MHDC Press Release
Tenbury Advertiser

Market Street Wall - Progress

Day 81. The wall is beginning to appear.

Tenbury standing by.

With heavy rain forecast for Thursday a temporary sandbag wall has been erected at the Market Street Wall Works.

This is try to stop water spilling from the Brook into Market Street should the heavy rain cause the waters to rise.

Market Street Wall - Progress

Day 57. We have a big hole. Compare that with the project at Nailsworth - Completed in 17 days.
(Click on link below)

http://www.redirock.net/redi-rock_case_studies.html

Yes, I am the first to admit I am not a structural engineer or a hydro expert, but I just find the contrast interesting.

Lucky Escape

As Fire Crews clean the roads this morning, must shopkeepers appear to have had a lucky escape. The water in Market Street peaked mid-evening last night and only Caldicott Home Centre and The Little Fish Shop appear to have been flooded.

The town is not totally out of danger yet, as the Teme is still at a very high level. Last year the Teme broke it's banks three days after the flash flood washed through town.

Click here for more.

The Wall - The history according to me!

The original Market Street wall collapsed after flash flooding in July 2007. The sluice valves that should have allowed the water to escape into the brook had not been maintained and had rusted closed. With nowhere to go the pressure and weight of the water caused the wall to collapse.

Lack of action by the local authorities in shoring up the bank meant that when the second flood followed a few days later, the wall foundations were undermined and the 'float foundation' of the newly refurbished toilets were washed out causing the toilets to subside.

Although the toilets were not damaged, the local authorities decided that it would be easier and cheaper to demolish them rather than try to jack them up a save them.

Due to the very strong construction of the toilets, heavy equipment was used to carryout the demolition which caused considerable further damage to the structure of the bank.

Months of confusion followed as none of the authorities wanted to take responsibility for the site. The wall was the responsibility of the County Council as it protected the road. The toilets were the responsibility of the District Council. Anything affecting the water course is the responsibility of the Environment Agency, and the Town Council take a view on all things local.

Finally after many delays including a plan to culvert the brook (which was against Environment Agency policy) and a replacement plan which meant the road would be closed for more than 6 months, effectively cutting Tenbury in two and more than likely to kill off the Town as a shopping destination, the County Council put the work out for tender.

More delays followed whilst contractors submitted their estimates and project plans.

Now more than 12 months later the work to replace the wall has only just started. The work was expected to be completed by Christmas but this is now in doubt as the latest flood has washed away the wooden form-work and has more than likely made the site unstable. Depending on what has been washed away, there is a possibility that the road may have been further damaged.Tenbury Wells was flooded three times in Summer 2007

25th June at approx. 18.00 hrs
17th July at approx. 14.45 hrs
20th July at approx. 18.00 hrs

and now September 5th at approx. 18.00 hrs

Click here for more.

What a difference 24 hours makes.

Tenbury Mayor; Cllr Jones, Cllr Morgan and Town/District Councillor Penn take a break in their sandbag distribution to survey the damage.

Less than 24 hours after their meeting with the Environment Agency, where it was confirmed that Tenbury would not be getting any flood defences, Town, District and County Councillors were out in force on the flooded streets of Tenbury.

The Tenbury Crisis Management Team and Plan were swung into action early this evening as it became clear that Kyre Brook would breach its banks.

Click here for more.

Avoidable Flood Hits Market Street

Once again, Market Street in Tenbury Wells has flooded.

Several shops are awash with water just 14 months after the last flood. Run-off water rushed down the aptly named Bog Lane and made it's way into the Town Centre. This water immediately ran into the brook and away. (If the Flood Wall had been completed it would have exited via the sluice valves.)

The problem has been caused by the delay in starting the wall. Rather than holding back the water as the brook level rose, it allowed the water to spill straight out into the road.

A combination of delays caused by the multi-agency involvement, and the Environment Agencies restriction on working on water course during the winter, (when the water in the brook rarely rises) meant that after more than 12 months work on the wall has barely started.

Click here for more.

Contractors press ahead.

The Contractors working on the Market Street replacement wall project are making good progress despite rising water levels in Kyre Brook.

The traffic lights have been removed as promised to allow the free movement of traffic during the Show weekend.

Wall works stall

For most of the day, the traffic signals were the only sign of work at the Tenbury Wells Market Street Replacement Wall site. A few workmen were sighted later in the day, but despite all the assurances that the work would be completed as soon as possible and that WCC were very happy with the work schedule, remarkably little activity has been seen so far!

Wall works start.

The work on Tenbury Wells Market Street Wall has started just one week short of the anniversary of the third 2007 flood.

WCC Senior project engineer Glenn Lucitt, correctly predicted the start date of the work at the Tenbury Town Council meeting last Monday. His assurance that only one or two parking bays in Market Street would need to be suspended was not so correct.

Today all the Parking spaces were conned off to allow for the Traffic Signals.

Traffic flowed freely through the town centre, but shop keepers noticed a drop in trade, whether this was due to the reduction in parking spaces, people staying away in case of traffic hold up or because of the general economic situation it is hard top say.

Wall work to start

The much delayed work to restore the Market Street Wall demolised by a flash flood in 2007 starts next Monday.
Local contractor, Alun Griffiths Civil Engineering, have committed to finishing the work by Christmas.

Two way temporary traffic signals will be in operation, throughout the duration of the works but WCC have asked that they be withdrawn when possible.

MHDC Conservation Officer has specified that the new brickwork and coping stones should match the original wall with as many stones as possible being recovered from the brook and reused.

The initial phase of the work will be to stabilise the bank, which was weakened and damaged by the over enthusiastic, and some would say, unnecessary demolition of the late Victorian toilet block also damaged by flood water.

Tenbury Advertiser Article
Letter to Tenbury Advertiser

Town Council blamed for wall delay.

Three months to the day after I wrote to the Town Council to say that the Environment Agency would not accept their proposal to culvert Kyre Brook, it was finally confirmed at tonight's meeting that the idea would now be dropped.

The WCC Engineer who addressed tonight's meeting claimed that had it not been for the insistence by the Town Council that they pursue this idea, the replacement wall would now be in place.

WCCs remit is to build a wall to support the highway, and flood defences are the responsibility of the Environment Agency. WCC have therefore not undertaken any flood modelling or flow rate monitorin, as they do not require this data to replace the wall. The Environment Agency have recommended that WCC rebuild the wall to a height slightly higher than last years maximum flood level, but no thought seems to have been given to where the water will go, or to the fact that the new wall will join a lower wall, thereby cancelling out any flood defence benefits.

WCC have just appointed new contractors for all engineering work and will now be submitting the plans to these contractors for comments and estimates. It is unlikely that the work will now commence before July.

Councillors at tonight's meeting expressed surprise that as they have do not have sufficient technical qualifications or knowledge to know if the proposed scheme is technically correct, that WCC were waiting for them to sign off the project.

Ludlow Journal

Replacement Wall Still Under Discussion

It is now 227 days since the last flood in Tenbury Wells, but a final solution to replacing the wall in Market Street seems still to be undecided.

At tonight's Tenbury Town Council Meeting, Mayor Bob Martin confirmed that they were still awaiting details from Worcester County Council regarding the replacement wall in Market Street.

Although the work was due to start this month, it appears that there is still no final design and a contractor is yet to be appointed.

Concerns were also raised about the narrow scope of the project, which could lead to water flow being diverted in such a way to undermine the foundations of adjacent buildings or eroding the opposite bank leading to collapse and possible total blockage of the brook.

Again due to the lack of joined up thinking, the proposed wall which appears to be 5ft high, is higher than, and does not join up to the next section of the wall on private ground.

The Town Council's proposed solution is to culvert the brook along this section, creating a market square and access to a small park on the opposite bank of the brook. This suggestion has met with fierce opposition from the residents whose properties would adjoin the park, and from the Environment Agency who have a policy of objecting to culverts.

A meeting is to be held later this week to begin the process of planning the replacement toilets, but it seems that due to what appears to be an incredible lack of momentum by Worcestershire County Council, the fundamental questions about the flood defences have yet to be met.

Market Street Update

Two more very popular Teme Street businesses reopened this week, The Fish and Chip takeaway and the Vaults.

3 Shops are still undergoing refurbishment in Market Street.

Only one business remains closed in Teme Street, Kus Kus Restaurant which is expected to open by Easter.

A couple of other shops are being refurbished but they were either empty before the floods or the businesses have already relocated.
(Updated 02/03/08)

Name	Business	Trading	Refurbished	Comments
Marilyn Ladies Fashions	26, Market St, 01584 811662 Clothes Shops - Ladies	Yes	Yes	Reopened late October
The Barn Shop	Fruit, Veg & Plants	Yes	Yes	Reopened early August
The Little Fish Shop	Wet Fish Sales	Yes	Yes	Opened Feb 08
Pet Shop	18, Market St, Pet Shop	Yes	Yes	Reopened Late November
Sue Ryder	Charity Shop	Yes	Yes	Reopened 19th September
The Hair Shop	16, Market St, 01584 819564 Hairdressers	Yes	Yes
Phil @ The Clockhouse	Deli & Butchers	Yes	Yes	Reopened Late November
Whites @ The Clockhouse	Restaurant	Yes	Yes
Royal Oak	Pub	Yes	Yes	Reopened 12th November
Singapore Restaurant	6-8 Market St, 01584 811544 Chinese Restaurant	Yes	Yes	Reopened Feb 08
The Spotty Dog	Tea Room	Yes	Yes
St Michaels Hospice	1-2 Market St, 01584 819898 Charity Shop	No	Started	No Floor open to cellar New Floor layed Feb 08
Richard C Swift Ltd	Bakers	No	Started	No Floor open to cellar New Floor layed Feb 08
Ruffles	Curtain Shop	Yes	Yes	Fully reopened Jan 08
Yuh Wah	17 Market St, 01584 810885 Chinese Takeaway	Yes	No	Not Flooded
Caldicott	15 Market St, 01584 810281 Funeral Directors	Yes	Yes
Caldicott	15 Market St, 01584 810561 Builders Merchant	Yes	Yes
Femina Hair Styles	9, Market St, 01584 810107 Hairdressers	Yes	Yes
The Embroidery Shop	7, Market St, 01584 810906 Needlecraft Retailers	No	In Progress	Due to reopen March 08
Mr Bens	Gents Barbers 5, Market St, 07837277535	Yes	Yes	Opened as Gents Barbers Jan 08
Country Flowers	5, Market St, 01584 819446 Florist	Yes	Yes	Opened Feb 08

Market Street Wall - Update

WCC seem to have backed down a little about the amount of disruption that will be caused by the building of the new wall along Kyre Brook.

The original project plan of 6 months with extended periods of road closures has been reduced to

• unknown (no final agreement, but less than 6 months)
• no lengthy closures (may be a few overnight closures)
• two way (not three way) lights
• no access required from Greenhill Close

A few fundamental flaws have been identified, such as

• the wall isn't long enough. There is a gap between Caldicott's and the wall.
• the wall on the opposite bank is also damaged.
• what effect the change in flow might have on the down stream building foundations.

Tenbury Town Council is still pursuing their preferred option of culverting the brook in this area, although this

• is against the Environment Agencies Policy,
• may lead to additional delays,
• is uncosted,
• is opposed by local residents,
• will cause a restriction due to the finite capacity of any culvert.