Elmswell Services off the A14 will temporarily close for Anglian Water works. Road closures are from March 1-3.
EG On the Move mentioned Anglian Water’s activity. The work starts next month at Elmswell Services. This is near the A14 and helps fix road safety planning issues.
Last Friday, the services closed down after Mid Suffolk District Council issued a notice. It came nearly a month after closure was advised and the safety measures were a condition of approval.
A road closure is set for March 1 to 3, impacting the A14 eastbound at junction 47. Entry and exit slips will be closed while the A1088 also closes toward Elmswell. Anglian Water will connect the station, and part of Kiln Lane is also shut.
A spokesperson for EG On The Move stated that they commissioned the water connection which is working alongside highway repairs now. The company wants to welcome customers back and plans to reopen Tuesday, March 4, at 5 AM if highway work finishes before that day.
Mid Suffolk’s planning group rejected the initial site plans, stating the exit design severely impacts highway safety. They worried about vehicles exiting onto the A1088 and noted concerns about those using A14 slip roads.
An appeal overturned the decision. The planning inspectorate ruled with conditions involving access and exit changes, designed to fix safety worries. These changes were not met before the site opened in December.
The council also issued an enforcement notice, noting there was no approved construction plan nor a surface water management plan before work began initially. Peter Dow, the clerk from Elmswell Parish Council, spoke of planning enforcement and said the process took too long, suggesting the station should’ve closed sooner.
Dow mentioned traffic management issues and thinks the county council failed on site issues. A county council spokesperson said EG needed to close first, so safety upgrades could be completed beforehand, and they have also minimized disruption for everyone.
A Mid Suffolk council spokesperson commented too, stating they are satisfied with their actions on the matter and protected the public in a timely manner. The council reported the owner failed to comply and stated profits should not come before safety. They will consider further legal options if needed and shared the site had to meet all planning conditions.