A Portswood road that’s ‘unadopted’ by the council, and which suffers from flooding, fly-tipping and parking issues, is reportedly in line for a £10k council investment.
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The largely unsurfaced service road runs parallel with the high street on Portswood road from behind October Books to Highfield Lane, and serves various Portswood businesses, homes, and charities including Mencap and Carers in Southampton.
The road in March 2022
But it’s been a problem for decades: it regularly floods in poor weather, resulting in large pools of muddy water forming, and has even been described as a “public health hazard” as it’s often used as a repository for rubbish, and reportedly even human waste.
Rubbish will now be cleared and “stones are going to be put down to help water drain away” under temporary "safety work" which “is expected to last around eight months to a year”, according to an Echo report.
As we reported last year, October Books, which is in the old NatWest building backing onto the service road and which has recently created a small garden at the back of its premises, has also called for the reopening of public toilets in Portswood.
The Westridge Road loos, themselves said to be subject to ASB and vandalism, were shut in 2014/15 to cut costs
There are now calls for Southampton City Council to develop a policy for dealing with unadopted city roads.
Previously
Bookshop encourages community action to improve life in Portswood
Road by October Books photographed in early August 2021