For years the access into the Co-Operative and towards Moffat Mill has been blighted by a broken up road, overrun verges and an overall lack of maintenance.
And this week a group of fed up Moffatonians came together to share their woes and fears over the state of the roads near The Co-op and also round by the former Small ‘n’ Tall nursery.
Leading the charge was local campaigner Bob Opray, who expressed hopes that a resolution could be found to improve the entrance to the busy area.
And his prayers have been answered this week by Co-op campaign and public affairs director Paul Garrett, who confirmed with local MP David Mundell that plans are in place.
He said: “Work on the road in Moffat has now been scoped, costed and submitted to our construction team for final sign off.
“We expect the work to be carried out early to mid-June.
“As you are aware, there are two other parties involved, BT and Edinburgh Woollen Mill, which has brought complexities to this particular case.
“It has meant that the process has taken a little longer than it usually would where there have been issues such as boundary lines which have needed to be addressed.
“However, in order to speed up the process we have agreed to pay for all of the works and recover appropriate costs from the other parties and please be assured that the work will be carried out as quickly as possible.”
The news has been welcomed by Mr Mundell, who said: “The state of this short, but busy, stretch of road has been both hazardous and an eyesore for too long and I’m delighted that the Co-op has given a commitment to carry out the repairs swiftly. I will watch progress with great interest.”
Although delighted that work will soon be underway near the supermarket, Mr Opray has another area in his sights and is preparing to mount a campaign to get the ‘rat run’ between the A708 Selkirk Road and the Woollen Mill car park improved.
