‘Nightmare’ of Island Quarter
RESIDENTS on a busy street say “noisy roadworks” are a “nightmare”.
A number of streets around the work on Sneinton Boulevard are now blocked.
Work started on August 9 to provide utility connections to the Island Quarter development – Nottingham’s biggest regeneration project, which will create a “city within the city” on the 36-acre site.
But some residents in Sneinton are already frustrated by the congestion and noise.
Chef Steve Tomlinson, 57, of Lyndhurst Road, said: “Luckily I have been at work last week so I did not get to hear it.
“But I had a few days off this week and it starts early in the morning – it is a pain, really.
“It blocked the access to the main street so I cannot drive home from the main street anymore.
“It is a nightmare and they have been working on it for some time.
“I have not taken my car out for that reason, because it is a pain to drive here now.”
Business owners said they have to work through the noise every day, and the lane closure on Sneinton boulevard causes congestion in the afternoons.
Naveed Mahmood, 36, who owns Naveed’s Kebab on the main road, said: “It is a bit of a nightmare but at the and of the day they have to do what they have to do.
“Sometimes you get stuck in traffic in the afternoon but I would say that overall it is not the busiest road. “It is very noisy but they have a job to do.”
Mahmood Khalid, 43, a worker at Lifestyle Express on Sneinton Boulevard, added: “It is really annoying. But they are working so you cannot stop them from doing that.
“In the afternoon the traffic is really bad around here.
“The noise is a problem especially when you are stood next to it every day. At least we go home after we are done here but what about the residents? They have to put up with it all day long every day.”
Unemployed Mohammed Ahmed, 39, of Kentwood Road, added: “I moved here recently so it is not the best thing to experience when you moved to a new home. But it is just temporary and after they have done it will be much better.
“So on the other hand I am glad that they are making improvements in my neighbourhood.”
A spokesman for Conygar, developer of the Island Quarter, said: “Stretches at the junctions for Port Arthur Road and Baden Powell Road are complete. The junction at Lyndhurst Road opened again on Thursday and at Westwood Road within the next few days.
“We are conscious there is some traffic disruption, but we will continue to keep the local community informed.
“These works are necessary as part of development of the Island Quarter, which will bring hundreds of jobs, benefiting not just the local community, but Nottingham and the East Midlands.”