Smith sent '˜walkabout' over pavements problem

Alderman Robert Smith is being sent walkabout as he tries to have the towns stylish granite pavements reinstated more than a year after large areas were lifted for underground work.

“Craigavon Borough Council was deeply involved the work in the £5 million public realms work five years ago,” he recalled. “It was always inevitable that services work would have to be carried out – like water, phones and electricity, leading to re-instatement of footpaths.

“But the temporary tarmac re-surfacing seems to be semi-permanent. There are sizeable tarmac areas in Portadown’s William Street and High Street that have been there for well over a year by my reckoning. The new ABC Council doesn’t seems to have acted to get them reinstated, and I can’t get a satisfactory reply from the council.”

He added, “The flagstones are rather expensive granite from China – specially imported – and Craigavon council has quite a comprehensive supply for just such a situation. And the flags that were lifted could be re-used.

“I have made repeated inquiries within the new council and nothing seems to be happening. A year-plus seems to be a long time. I know that the ground has to settle, but a series of trenches have been dug in the area’s roads – especially for gas – and it has taken nothing like this lengthy of time to re-instate the roads.

“I think it’s a case of the ABC Council being far too big and ungainly. But somebody is bound to know the score. These large, unsightly areas of tarmac are doing nothing for the town.”

By the agreed deadline, the ABC Council had not replied to a Portadown Times request for a response. We are hoping for a response by next week.