Council to spend thousands to fix mistake with dropped kerb

A council has agreed to spend nearly £5,500 to move a dropped kerb to the correct location following a developer’s mistake.

Builders Heywood installed a dropped kerb a few spaces away from the marked disabled bay at Eastleigh Community Centre, according to a report made to Eastleigh Borough Council.

The work was part of disabled car parking improvements.

The approved plans show the disabled parking bay in the corner of the car park, closest to the building entrance. 

Heywood were asked to move the dropped kerb next to the disabled bay, but they said it complied with building regulations. 

Building control agreed it was compliant but inconvenient. As a result, the disabled bay was moved, by altering the lines, next to the dropped kerb, which caused problems.

At a meeting earlier this month, councillors approved £5,482 to install the dropped kerb in the originally approved location.  

The report said: “Residents and visitors tried to make it work but it has proved to be a significant barrier to wheelchair users wishing to access the building.”  

The YMCA, which runs the Eastleigh Community Centre, asked for the grant to fund the delivery of the original design.

The work will be funded from the developers’ contributions from houses built at Highwood, on land south of Chestnut Avenue, North Stoneham Park.