Many pavements in the village are becoming inaccessible to pedestrians, particularly those with prams, wheelchairs or shopping trolleys because residents are allowing their hedges to encroach, or in some case completely take over, the pavement forcing people to walk in the road.
Local residents attended a meeting with officers from Cheshire East Highways on Monday, 14th August, to alert them to this dangerous situation - particularly around The Circuit where a four and a half foot pavement has been reduced to just 4 inches because of an overgrown hedge.
One resident said "Walking to school with children you are having to go into the road where oncoming traffic is turning into The Circuit. It is very dangerous. I was nearly hit myself with my grandson in his pram.
"The thing is in years gone by the Council would send a letter saying cut your hedge or we'll come and cut it and you'll get charged. The problem with that was when it did get cut it got cut a foot or maybe two and a mother with a pram still can't get on that pavement, it needs cutting to the original width of the pavement."
Residents also highlighted the problem at Heyes Lane, near South Bank, where you either need to cross over or walk in the road if have a pram, trolley or wheelchair because of an overgrown holly hedge.
Another local resident said "It's a danger. A mother having to go off the pavement into the road facing oncoming traffic is not acceptable. Are there inspectors looking? How can a hedge get that far out if it's been inspected?"
Mark Heywood of Cheshire East Highways admitted "There is still a long way to go."
Speaking about approaching local residents to trim their hedges, Lynne Nixon from Cheshire East Highways commented "It is a constant battle. We don't want to fall out with people and upset people and be heavy handed."
Speaking to Mark Heywood, Councillor Craig Browne said "I do report a number of these hedges to you and to be fair Andy Simpson does send letters out to the occupants but the issue is that some of them respond very positively to the letter that they get but there are a few that ultimately refuse to cut their hedge and it doesn't seem as though there is any follow up at that point. There does not seem to be that level of enforcement."
Mark Heywood responded "We do try and use a stepped approach to it. It is always best face-to-face, if you get a letter through your door you tend to act in a different way to somebody knocking on your door, if you can explain what the problem is to the local community."
He added "If you have a boundary hedge, it's like everything else in your house you have got to maintain it."
One resident told alderleyedge.com "I am fearful that it is only a matter of time before there is an accident caused by the overgrown hedges. We need to reclaim the full width of our pavements and not just a few inches. I am glad that the council has agreed to take action on these matters and hope that local residents will accept responsibility where necessary in helping to make our pavements safe for all."
Photos show the exit leaving The Circuit where the pavement narrows forcing pedestrians onto the road.
The next picture shows the width the pavement should be - over a metre wide.
The last picture also shows the condition of the road which residents say makes it even more difficult to push a buggy.
Comments
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Most problems however are caused by cars parked on pavements forcing pedestrians into the road. Happens all the time.
In these circumstances the road is far safer!
I remember the response to the warning letters placed on cars parked on Congleton Road a few months ago.
"Fine them, tow them away, prosecute the owners, etc.
Park your car inappropriately and you get vilified but block the path with a hedge for years or possibly decades and the response is
"We don't want to fall out with people and upset people and be heavy handed."
Perhaps it would be more prudent to protect pedestrians and worry a little less about upsetting people that break the law.
If you can't understand this then maybe someone else should fulfil this role.
The days when owners or part owners of these hedges looking after them does not exsist they could not give a damn,As for the mindless motorist who park on the footpaths seems no one is bothered