Road reopens after two-year wall collapse closure

A road in Derby that has been partially closed for more than two years after a wall collapsed has fully reopened.

Temporary traffic lights were installed in Uttoxeter Road, Mickleover, and one lane was shut in October 2023 when a section of a wall collapsed during Storm Babet, causing significant flooding.

Residents branded the extended closure an "absolute joke" and "pathetic" after it was revealed last year the roadworks had cost the city council more than £10,000.

Derby City Council previously said it was an "extremely complex" situation as the wall was privately owned, adding it understood people's frustration.

Mickleover councillors - Matthew Holmes, Alison Holmes and Miles Pattison - have previously expressed dismay at the length of time it has taken to repair the wall, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

Holmes had described the lane closure, near the junction with Cavendish Way, as "very frustrating" and claimed pedestrians were vulnerable.

On the two-year anniversary of the lights, one resident tied balloons to railings at the site.

But the resident responsible, Jonathan Shaw, admitted the lights had calmed down traffic on the road and made a "big difference for some of us".

Last year, a Freedom of Information request revealed it had cost the city council more than £10,500 to lease temporary traffic lights for 18 months.

The authority said the situation was not straight-forward to fix the damage as the city council was tangled in legal complications, with the wall being privately owned.

The issue was further complicated due to the complex history of the wall and finding out who was legally responsible for repairs to be carried out, it said.

The council stated it had been unable to take any action until its ownership was "clearly established" and consultation with insurance companies had taken place.

In October, the authority said it understood people's frustration with the road closure but stressed traffic signals were "kept in place to keep everyone safe from any further movement of the wall".

A spokesperson for Derby City Council confirmed: "The works to the wall on Uttoxeter Road have now been completed and the road was fully reopened on Monday."

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