A 15-WEEK road closure while a water main is replaced will “cancel Christmas” in a village famous for growing Christmas trees.
The farm has previously provided Christmas trees for various venues including Buckingham Palace and Downing Street.
BBCA 15-week road closure while a water main is replaced would “cancel Christmas” in a village famous for growing Christmas trees[/caption]
AlamyThe Tree Barn farm has previously provided Christmas trees for venues including Buckingham Palace and Downing Street[/caption]
Thames Water has announced rolling road closures will be in place through Christmas Common, near Watlington in Oxfordshire, for 15 weeks.
But The Tree Barn farm said any road closure would be at its “very busiest” time of year and would lose them business.
Thames Water has apologised for the disruption, but explained it needs to replace 1.5 miles (2.3km) of a clean water main.
They added it was “essential upgrade” and that the road would be closed in manageable sections
They explained that diversion routes would be in place to allow continued access to homes and businesses.
But co-owner Jane Ingram of The Tree Barn, who plant 17,000 new trees each year, said even a partial closure would cause “untenable” tailbacks reports The BBC.
She explained that approximately 2,000 cars a day visited her farm to buy trees in the lead up to Christmas.
She stated: “Customers won’t stand it – they’ll arrive tired, hungry and cross. We will lose custom.
“If they close the road completely and say ‘access only’ then we’re out of business and it’s a complete waste of our year.
“We obviously get paid for the trees only after we’ve sold them
“We’ve got some big bills to pay now – we’ve got a lot of labour. There’d be a very large hole we’d never be able to fill.”
Reiner Hecken, publican at the Fox and Hounds in the village, agreed that any road closure would “devastate” local businesses.
He said: “The timing of this closure will cancel Christmas in Christmas Common, a period that both businesses rely on for survival and which gives the village its unique seasonal identity.
“While the works may be necessary, the complete lack of engagement and the timing show a disregard for the impact on small, rural businesses and the wider community.”
Thames Water said: “This essential upgrade is being carried out due to the history of bursts.
“By replacing the aging infrastructure, we aim to significantly reduce the risk of future incidents and improve the long-term reliability of the local water supply.”
Oxfordshire County Council explained: “Thames Water has requested to begin in the autumn to ensure the works can be completed before ground-level temperatures drop to levels that could prevent excavation and pipe-laying activities.
“While we understand the timing overlaps with a busy trading period for local businesses, the risk of prolonged disruption to water supplies, if the works are delayed, is significant.
“The council has worked with Thames Water to ensure that access to properties will be maintained and that disruption is minimised wherever possible.”
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
