I know the works to the Pillar,started on Monday, have caused considerable traffic issues, together with works on the Foxhill junction with Bradford Road, and I have raised this with the Conservative Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Tony Clarke, as this is not good planning. No answer from him though, however I have been talking to Highway Officers, and there should now be some relief to the situation that occurred on Monday. 

The ornate urn at the top of the eastern pillar at the junction of Ralph Allen Drive and North Road has now successfully been realigned by the specialist conservation contractor Sally Strachey Historic Conservation. Repointing works around the realigned stone will also be carried out by end of today.

It is likely that the scaffolding will be removed on Friday 19th August 2016.
Separate repair work to the base section that the urn sits on will be carried out at a later date. The damage is being measured up today to enable repair pieces of stonework to be cut into place on a date to be agreed. This repair work will be carried out from a significantly smaller piece of tower scaffold, and temporary three way traffic signals will again be required for this work. I have asked Highways to let me know the dates for the further work.

Bath Preservation Trust has kindly offered to put some funding towards this, as has the WH Management Steering Group, Chaired by Peter Metcalfe. I had talked to Peter about this work last year, and he was pleased to tell me the Steering Group wanted to give some financial support. We are really grateful to both Bath Preservation and Trust and the WH Steering Group.