The ‘lost’ street of Pontefract that’s too hard to find

A fed-up resident says a new housing estate is lost in Pontefract - simply because they have been waiting for two years for developers to erect a road sign.
Roy Bickerton has complained numerous times about the lack of street sign at the start of his road. 
It has led to all sorts of confusion.Roy Bickerton has complained numerous times about the lack of street sign at the start of his road. 
It has led to all sorts of confusion.
Roy Bickerton has complained numerous times about the lack of street sign at the start of his road. It has led to all sorts of confusion.

Roy Bickerton moved into a new property on Heather Drive on the Manor Park scheme, just off Cobblers Lane, in April 2017, but few are able to find the street without a sign, and the road is yet to show up on GPS sat-nav systems or Google Maps.

But across the site built by Linden Homes, there appears to be numerous signs just yards apart, including four on the tiny cul-de-sac Heather Gardens (pictured right).

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Retired councillor Mr Bickerton, who lives in a two-bedroom new-build with his wife, said: “It must be in the Guinness Book of Records how many signs there are on this development, but there isn’t one in the most important place - at the entrance.

“I must have asked 15 times over the last 18 months but nothing has happened.

“You probably wouldn’t see another street in the country like this. They only need one sign at the entrance to each road, and one at the entrance to the site.

“Because we’re not on Google either, there’s no way people can find us, it’s comical.”

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However, Linden Homes have defended their work, with a spokesman saying: “The roads signs are erected by us in accordance with regulations set out by the local authority in terms of numbers and locations of signs.

“The roads aren’t fully adopted by the local authority until the development is complete - work is currently ongoing hence they won’t yet be recognised by Google or sat nav systems.

“Developers do not have a responsibility to register their development street names on Google.”

While confusing visitors is one issue, a more serious implication for a lack of road signage could cost the emergency services valuable time.

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However, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service have said that the road is known to them.

Area Manager Jim Butters said: “We’d like to reassure residents that we are informed of any new developments, so Heather Drive is on our systems and we are able to respond as we would with any other location.”

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