Paving work will be restarting in Blandford town centre this month.

Around 1,800m² of paving is being replaced by Dorset Council Highways as the existing limestone paving is susceptible to polishing, which is causing them to become slippery in wet weather, posing a hazard to residents and visitors.

Cracked and uneven slabs are also frequently in need of repair, with some areas having been removed and replaced with a black bitumen surface not in keeping with the historic setting of the area. This was one of the reasons the town was placed on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register.

Work was paused in November 2021 to allow unforeseen fibre cabling work to take place in areas set to have paving replaced.

To minimise disruption to residents and businesses, highways operatives will be concentrating on one area at a time, with short sections of paving being replaced in a rolling programme of work. Each section will have the old paving removed, foundations prepared and new slabs laid before the team move along to the next section of paving.

Phase 1: Mostly complete East Street northern pavement from Sheep Market Hill into Church Lane

Phase 2: 14 March to early April East Street southern pavement from Sheep Market Hill to Beres Yard

Phase 3: April Market Place southern pavement from Beres Yard to Greyhound Yard

Phase 4: late April to mid-May West Street southern pavement from greyhound Yard to Crown and Anchor. This work will require two-way traffic signals to provide a safe working space.

Phase 5: May West Street northern pavement from Crown Hotel to Bell Inn Yard

Phase 6: June Market Place northern pavement

Phase 7: late June to mid-July Salisbury Street eastern pavement from The Plocks to Anchor Gateway

Phase 8: mid-July to early August Salisbury Street western pavement from pedestrian crossing to Bryanston Street

Phase 9: to be confirmed Salisbury Street western pavement from Bell Inn Yard to pedestrian crossing

Phase 10: to be confirmed Salisbury Street eastern pavement from Anchor Gateway to Market Place

Remaining paving renewal on Church Lane will be completed during Phase Six, when work is being carried out in Market Place.

Dates have not yet been confirmed for Phases nine and ten due to other potential highway work in this area. If the scheme is approved, the paving replacement will be scheduled to coincide with any other highway works – possibly later this year.

Cllr Noc Lacey-Clarke and Cllr Byron Quayle, Elected Members for Blandford, said: “This much needed investment will have a significant impact on Blandford’s town centre, one of Dorset’s most important market towns.

“While it is regrettable that the work could not take place last year as planned, the team have been working closely with a third party over the last few months to align their two separate programmes of work.

“Our highways team will be working alongside Gigaclear, who will be installing new fibre cabling at the same time, which will limit future disruption to the town centre.

“Although some disruption is to be expected, at the end of these works Blandford’s residents, business and visitors will benefit from an improved street scene and access to high-speed internet.”

The £300,000 project is being funded by Dorset Council maintenance funding, Section 106 contributions and the sale of the old, removed paving.

At the end of the project, the area will be registered as a site of special engineering difficulty to ensure utility companies are aware of the additional work required to reinstate the new footway.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.