Agreement reached to fix damaged verges in Hampden Park

Residents have been complaining about damaged verges in Hampden Park – and an agreement has been made to tackle the problem.
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Newly-elected Liberal Democrat councillor Josh Babarinde met up with CityFibre’s Eastbourne manager Adrian Smith just four days after the by-election results were announced to discuss the issue.

CityFibre is an alternative provider of wholesale fibre network infrastructure and provides wholesale connectivity to service providers, local authorities and mobile operators.

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On social media Mr Babarinde said he took the Eastbourne CityFibre manager to areas where he had concerns with barriers and grass verges including Brassey Avenue, Brodrick Road, Lottbridge Drive and Knoll Crescent.

Josh Babarinde and Eastbourne CityFibre's Eastbourne manager Adrian Smith. SUS-210518-164109001Josh Babarinde and Eastbourne CityFibre's Eastbourne manager Adrian Smith. SUS-210518-164109001
Josh Babarinde and Eastbourne CityFibre's Eastbourne manager Adrian Smith. SUS-210518-164109001

Mr Babarinde said, “I was pleased with how committed CityFibre are to putting as many of these issues right as possible.

“Today, I have secured the following commitments from them as part of this effort: Clearing the rubble from the verges in Lottbridge Drive within weeks, top-soiling them, then planting new grass seeds, planting wild flower seeds on the newly-exposed big verges on the corners of Knoll Crescent within weeks, weighing barriers down with more sandbags so that we see far fewer collapsed barriers blocking our streets, trialling some small ‘please let the grass grow’ signs on verges in Knoll Crescent to deter cars from parking on them before the grass has been able to grow back”

Adrian Smith, CityFibre’s city manager for Eastbourne, said, “CityFibre is investing at least £26m to deliver a town-wide full fibre network that will futureproof Eastbourne’s digital capabilities.

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“This is a major undertaking, which is why, throughout the build, we work closely with our build partner and the local council to ensure all reinstatement works meet the high standards expected.

“The quality of the work we are carrying out is of paramount importance to us and when incidents arise, we have processes in place to ensure they are resolved as quickly as possible.

“I’d like to thank councillor Josh Babarinde for his time and local residents for their patience as we continue our build.

“Once complete, the full fibre network will provide the community with the best infrastructure available, benefitting the local area for decades to come.”

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Mr Babarinde told the Herald, “I am really pleased to have made progress so quickly but I am not complacent about it and will not regard these commitments as done until we see them.

“Until we see those sandbags, until we see those grass verges cleared, until we see our streets looking more like what they did before, but I am very pleased to have made this progress with CityFibre.”

Mr Babarinde said he has since had a number of positive messages on social media from people in Hampden Park, including some from residents who did not voted for him.

The councillor said, “It is important to get started right away because I have always been the kind of guy who just rolls up his sleeves and get stuck in.

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“There is often not time to wait and I wanted to make sure that residents were able to see some immediate result from their vote.

“My role as a councillor is to serve everybody, not just the people who voted for me.”