At last! An update on the Park Way cracks mystery
The news is... there is no news. Newbury Town Council asks for more time to solve subsidence riddle
THE cause of cracks and fractures to homes, paths, fields and walls in and near Victoria Park in Newbury is still no closer to being resolved over a year on since an investigation began.
Reports of splits in pavements, crumbling walls and then cracks in the interiors of houses near to Park Way caused much head scratching over the summer of 2010, and when Newbury's 500-year-old bowling club reported its well had run dry for the first time in its history and the Victoria Park football pitch was taken out of action Newbury Town Council decided to act.
With Parkway contractors Costain sucking huge amounts of water out of the ground nearby to build an underground car park, worried residents, town council members and figures at the bowling club began asking questions of the works being carried out, however Costain repeatedly claimed the dry weather at the beginning of 2010 was to blame for the problems.
The results of a hydrogeological survey by surveyors Scott Wilson commissioned by the town council in September 2010 to uncover the cause of damage has still not been made public, and the town council has said this week that it recognised the public wanted answers but that it needed more time to solve the problem
A statement released by the town council on Wednesday said it is in possession of a final draft report which sets out likely causes of subsidence from a hydro-geological point of view, but it needs to seek further opinion.
“The draft report has been discussed with the town council's legal advisers, including a barrister who has hydro-geological expertise, and as a result, the council has been firmly advised not to publish the draft report as it stands.
“The council has also been advised to seek further expert opinion, firstly from a civil engineer as to what works are required to correct any damage, and secondly from a quantity surveyor to establish the exact costs of those works.”
The town council said it was further informed that the full extent of any damage was not necessarily immediately obvious and was advised to wait until the park stabilised, which it now has, before commissioning further professional reports.
The leader of Newbury Town Council, Julian Swift-Hook (Lib Dem, Greenham), said: “The town council is continuing to do all it can to ensure the best outcome, and we are advised that the premature publication of reports could seriously undermine this objective.
“We are all frustrated by the time this is taking, but we are moving as fast as we sensibly can on this long and complex task, and would ask everyone to please bear with us.
“As we have always said, our aim is the best outcome for Victoria Park and for the taxpayers of Newbury, so we are focusing on doing this right rather than quickly.”
