Openreach to replace stone slabs on Cross Street, Oswestry

Work to replace a temporary reinstatement of the pavement on Cross Street, Oswestry with stone slabs is to be carried out by Openreach this week.

Work is set to begin on Tuesday 5 December [2023] and last for up to five days.

In July this year work was undertaken in Cross Street by contractors working on behalf of Openreach. A number of the stone slabs were damaged whilst being removed and it would not have been safe to relay these, hence the need for an interim reinstatement to keep the area safe for the public.

Under current national legislation utilities companies are permitted to do this type of repair provided that a permanent repair of the surface is complete within six months.

However Shropshire Council has worked closely with Openreach to ensure that a permanent repair is carried out sooner than the permitted timescale. Openreach and their contractors have now sourced the appropriate slabs, enabling a permanent and matching repair to be carried out, well within the six months timeframe.

Dan Morris, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said:

“I’m pleased that the permanent replacement of the stone slabs is to be carried out. We completely understand the frustration of local residents about the appearance of Cross Street since this temporary repair was carried out and have worked closely with Openreach to ensure that the slabs are reinstated at the earliest opportunity.

‘’The work will be closely monitored by the council’s streetworks team to ensure that the area is reinstated to a satisfactory state.’’

A spokesperson for Openreach said:

“We fully understand how important it is to return Cross Street to how it was before the work took place. We’ve made sure we’ve matched up the replacement stones as closely as possible to ensure the best finish. Work is due to get underway shortly and should take up to five days to complete.”