I have just been informed of a gas leak at the above location that will require an emergency repair to be carried out today Thursday 19 February.

In order to accommodate the repair work, it will require four way temporary signals to be erected at the mini roundabout to control the flow of traffic in/out of the distribution centres as well as along Beal Lane.

The traffic signals will be manually operated between 7am-6pm in order to manage queue lengths, especially back towards the Metrolink crossing, and they are expecting the work to last one day.

It will also be necessary to remove parked vehicles along Beal Lane between Jubilee Street and Cheetham Street. To achieve this the contractor has been told to place no waiting cones and arrange a letter drop to the properties.

Given the volume of traffic going to/from the distribution centres and beyond to the residential areas it is hoped the above measures will keep disruption to a minimum, especially as it is half term, but some disruption is unavoidable.

Liberal Democrat Shaw Councillor Howard Sykes has welcomed the announcement that February’s Oldham Planning Committee will consider plans to create more than 40 extra car parking spaces for local commuters using the Shaw and Crompton Metrolink station.

Oldham Council purchased the former Talentum building on Beal Lane specifically to enable TfGM to create more car parking spaces to meet demand.

Cllr Sykes said: “This is good news but it has been a very long time in coming.”

“For many years now, in fact years before the closure of the Oldham – Rochdale railway line in 2009, Shaw and Crompton Liberal Democrat Councillors have been campaigning for more parking at the Shaw and Crompton Station.”

“Just as getting the new Metrolink Station located on the Oldham side of Beal Lane took many years to ensure it happened, the provision of extra parking was also part of our long term ambitions for Metrolink in Shaw. I lost count ages ago of the number of meetings over the last 20 years I have attended, and called, to ensure Shaw gets some extra parking and the Station in the right place.”

“Shaw and Crompton was always one of the busiest stations on the old railway line and this has not changed with the opening of Metrolink. The existing car-parking is always full well before 8.00am on most week days and at many other times. This means that many users have had to drive the extra distance to Derker Station, which rather defeats the point of encouraging people to ‘park and ride’ from their most local station to reduce traffic congestion and environmental pollution. Or other drivers decide to make their whole journey by car.”

Cllr Sykes expressed his hope that the Planning Committee will approve the plans and that work to create the additional car parking will then take place as quickly as possible.