CHESHIRE West and Chester Council has hit back at claims by MP Mike Hall after he said Hartford’s conservation area was being destroyed because of the creation of a filter lane.

Work on creating a left hand filter lane at Bradburns Lane – as part of a £350,000 improvement scheme – has been ongoing since June but has been delayed after workmen found underground telephone cables.

Clr Neil Ritchie, environment executive member, claims the improvements on the road will reduce queues at all roads at the junction by around 25 per cent in anticipation of the creation of the Winnington Urban Village.

He told the Guardian he strongly rejected criticism of the improvement scheme by Weaver Vale MP Mike Hall in the Guardian two weeks ago.

“Sadly, Mr. Hall’s remarks were high in electioneering soundbites, unreasonable and in part simply incorrect,” he said.

“Few major road schemes escape congestion, particularly when they are delayed by the discovery of unexpected underground services and accompanied by the renewal of a large gas main.”

The council said from the outset it had acknowledged the scheme would create disruption but was vital to alleviate congestion and improve pedestrian facilities – issues which it has said concerned the community for years.

Disruption At the authority’s request, Northwest Gas Alliance agreed to bring forward the work to prevent the road from being dug up again next year with the consequent prolonged disruption.

The council told the Guardian Mr Hall had maintained that the public had been ‘kept in the dark’, yet the authority had informed the media, local residents, councillors, schools, businesses and the parish council at every stage.

In response to the MP’s claims that the conservation area was being destroyed, Clr Ritchie stressed the finished scheme had been designed as sympathetically as possible and would include new black signal columns, footways, planting and landscaping, with any works disturbed by the contractor fully reinstated.

He said: “Existing land constraints have always meant that there was going to be a limit to what could be achieved.

“And while we are never going to eliminate congestion altogether, the scheme will provide valuable added capacity to cater for future traffic increases.”

Mike Hall, MP for Weaver Vale, said: “When they talked to me about it they said the filter lane would be of a minimal benefit to the people of Hartford.

“It is quite clear that the work is an eyesore and the road will go through a conservation area.”

“It is very congested down there and for CWAC to claim otherwise is a nonsense.

“If they don’t think that people have been caught up in it they should go down there and knock on a few doors.”