'Nothing is done': Ongoing road closure frustrates Lyttelton residents

Ross Pde residents Ken Claydon and Kathy Bessant at the Jacksons Rd end of their street. Photo: Supplied

A group of Lyttelton residents are frustrated by what they see as Christchurch City Council's inaction to repair a slip that has blocked the end of their street for 18 months.

“We’re pretty angry because we pay good rates and we expect more from our council,” said Ross Pde resident Kathy Bessant.

Bessant and her partner Ken Claydon say they have dealt with numerous inconveniences on their “truck-wide” street since part of the road slipped away in July 2022 after heavy rain.

Ross Pde intersects Jacksons Rd and Ross Tce, with the closure at the Ross Tce end.

“We’ve got a very narrow, awkward, steep street. It’s one of the steepest bits of Lyttelton,” said Claydon.

Another Ross Pde resident, Jane Seaford, agreed with Bessant and Claydon, saying the lack of progress on the road reopening is getting “beyond a joke”.

A city council spokesperson said Ross Pde has been closed for longer than anticipated due to the slip area being too damp to safely remove.

The other end of the road has been closed since part of the road slipped away in July 2022. Photo: Supplied

Once conditions had dried out and allowed for removal to take place, the spokesperson said there was “ambiguity as to whether the concerned area was public or private land. This was eventually resolved.”

They said work to reopen the road should be well under way by June.

But residents feel the ongoing closure is an accident waiting to happen.

Claydon said he sees several vehicles a week struggling to reverse out of the street after realising it cannot be used as a shortcut between Ross Tce and Jackson Tce.

He said a driver nearly slipped off the road a few weeks ago while reversing.

“Some people are no good at backing down hills.”

There was a sign on Jacksons Rd, warning vehicles of the road closure but this was removed about a year ago, he said.

There is still a road closure sign on Ross Pde, but it is too far from Jacksons Rd to be useful, as vehicles have already turned into the parade by the time it comes into view.

“It’s absolute stupidity,” Claydon said.

Ken Claydon backs down the Jacksons Rd exit of Ross Parade. Photo: Supplied

He said the closure also created issues for deliveries.

“If I’m getting a delivery of firewood or anything, the guy with the trailer has got to back up the hill.”

The residents said they are frustrated with the lack of visible progress.

“There’s a sign up there that says temporary. I’ve rung the council several times and asked them what’s happening and they say ‘oh yes, oh yes, it’s going to be fixed’ but nothing is done,” he said.

The city council spokesperson said the design for a new retaining wall to prevent another slip and keep the area dry is under way.

“We are hoping the wall will be constructed by June, and the road opened.”

Claydon said he will believe it when he can see the wall under construction.