Many of you have contacted me and other councillors about the current nightly situation with HGV grid locking up Beal Lane.
Please be assured we are doing all we can to work with the council, police and other agencies.
Below is an extract from an email about this matter we sent earlier this week by Cllr Chris Gloster who is leading on this matter on behalf of us all.
“The situation in Shaw town centre has now become untenable. Yet again tonight I have been contacted by numerous residents who have been stuck in gridlocked traffic due to HGVs queuing to get into the Yodel site.
Tonight traffic was all the way through Shaw up to Rochdale Road.
We have emailed Yodel, written to them, phoned them and been into the site personally but I have yet to have a positive response, in fact any response.
When I visited, I was told that they can’t let the LGVs into the yard to clear the backlog for Health and Safety reasons. Their Logistics are appalling. I have also written to JD Williams who have sent me a letter in reply telling me it is down to Yodel, which it is, and they have even offered their yard for overflow to prevent gridlock.
Yodel have had enough chances and we need some sort of legal remedy to cure this, although I’m unsure what can be done.
This needs to be something done by the Council aimed at Yodel rather than the drivers who are victims of circumstance.
There are also issues of community safety as regards goods vehicles with engines running are stationary outside residential homes on Beal Lane. The road has been identified as one of the worst for air pollution in the Borough.
Any ideas? I’m thinking the threat of an injunction not to obstruct Beal Lane for starters.”
Above is a video we have captured. We will continue to pursue this matter on behalf of local residents, business and their visitors.
I objected at a recent planning meeting regarding the extension of operation and capacity increase. I highlighted all these points. The planning committee voted by 12 to 3 to allow the planning to go ahead.
I then wrote to the Chief Executive of Oldham Council to highlight the problems Shaw is facing with two large distribution facilities. The reply simply said the economic benefits outweigh ANY problems and that includes health, loss of amenity or noise pollution.
So, you either start at the top with legal action or you organise a mass event that prevents access to the sites. I have done my bit as a local resident and I’m afraid doing things the correct way has no effect what so ever.
Ian Schofield
Hi Ian,
As you say. Oldham council refuse to listen to any concerns whatsoever regarding this distribution site. The health and safety of the residents of Shaw has been surrendered by Oldham council in favour of this site and its taxable rewards of which the people of Shaw see nothing. The access routes to the Motorways are totally unsuitable and extremely dangerous in places. The residents all around the centre are disturbed along with all those living on the access routes.
The whole site is totally unacceptable at its current location but whoever you turn to for assistance simply directs you back to Oldham council as they are responsible. It is currently a no win situation. Even our local parish councillors are careful not to show any objections to the site. They are currently only addressing the HGV stacking issues with no mention of the real problem we all face daily and nightly as residents. We need to stop the tip toeing and take action. Our Parish Councillors are there to represent us. We require a door to door questionnaire and petition including all the homes around the site and all those on the route to the motorways. If our Parish councillors cannot do this we need to remember when it comes to voting.
Isn’t blocking the carriage way for no good reason an offense?
I think it is about time the police got their act together.
Coming from the centre of Shaw and trying to pass these trucks is difficult and dangerous. Beal Lane curves slight left meaning you have little sight of traffic coming in the opposite direction plus there are double white lines and a keep left sign it is impossible to go round the correct side of.
That is what i thought but as of yet they have not shown any interest in helping tackle or solve this problem I am afraid. Me and my colleague do press them on such matters I can assure you.
Yodel should pay to have the Tram rerouted down market street freeing up the tramline which can be used to access Yodel what a dodel !
I, along with many others , have been objecting against this site in the middle of a residential town for years. Oldham council will not listen and the local parish councillors so far have seemed unconcerned. Luckily one of them has to travel along Beal lane to his residence so we are hearing a few grumbles. As for the other couple of hundred homeowners along the route to the motorways, well we remain unheard. Homes shaking and vibrating 24 hours a day, HGV’s continuously mounting footpaths remains unchallenged.
This distribution centre should not be in the centre of a residential area. Highlight a similar sized one that is. The trouble we have as residents is the people we contact to stop the disturbance are the ones who allowed it to be there in the first place and generate revenue from it. Unless somebody from the Council is disturbed via these depots we are left helpless even though it is very obviously on a totally unsuitable site.
put pressure on VOSA to reappraise the licence for the site.
any change in operating t+c’s will have a huge effect on Yodel.
maybe enough for them to begin to think about relocating…