THE councillor in charge of Essex’s roads has denied her resignation from the post was because of delays in the Sadlers Farm revamp.

County councillor Tracey Chapman said she was standing down from the Conservative cabinet because of family commitments. Her daughter, who has twins, is returning to work.

Mrs Chapman said the huge Sadlers Farm project was “pretty much” on schedule. However, she said the work would not be completed until the end of June, whereas original predictions suggested it would be ready by the spring. The roadworks are causing major disruption.

Mrs Chapman was abroad on holiday when her resignation was announced. She was infuriated by a report in Monday’s Echo in which Castle Point councillor Alf Partridge linked her resignation with the delays in completing Sadlers Farm.

She said: “I have never discussed why I am retiring with Alf Partridge, and he certainly knows nothing about the progression of the Sadlers Farm scheme. Shame the poor old fool didn’t keep his ignorance to himself instead of sharing it with the rest of us.”

Mrs Chapman said she now expected the strategic link to be open to two-way traffic by the end of May, with the entire project completed by June 27 “with the exception of a bit of tweaking of the lights until we get the sequence absolutely perfect”.

Mrs Chapman, who lives in Paglesham and represents Rochford North, will continue as a member of the county council, but is relinquishing her responsibility for highways.

MRS CHAPMAN'S STATEMENT IN FULL:
 I WAS very surprised to see the Echo was prepared to print a story about my reasons for retiring from the cabinet of Essex County Council without even talking to me.

Some weeks ago, I told my leader my daughter wanted to go back to work full-time and in future I would be collecting my twin six-year-old grandchildren from school and looking after them in the holidays.

I have always tried to give 110 per cent to my cabinet job, whatever it has been and, given my new responsibilities, I wouldn’t be able to do that in the future. I thought the fairest thing I could do after so many years was to retire from the cabinet and return to the back benches.

I was very surprised to see the article, which originated from a letter written by someone I can only recall meeting briefly, once.

I do not know Alf Partridge, I have never discussed why I am retiring with Alf Partridge, and he certainly knows nothing about the progression of the Sadlers Farm scheme.

Shame the poor old fool didn’t keep his ignorance to himself instead of sharing it with the rest of us.

On the Sadlers Farm scheme, this is probably one of the largest of its kind, at one of the most complex junctions in the country, ever to be attempted. The works have been carried out with every effort made to keep traffic moving and with as little disruption to residents as possible.

Given issues, such as the delay by the Department for Transport with the initial funding agreement, two winters which presented us with extreme challenges of cold, wet and wind, and not knowing what we would find until we broke ground, it is remarkable the scheme is coming in pretty much when we said it would – spring 2012.

The scheme has involved moving 200,000 cubic metres of earth – all of which has been used on-site. It has seen three bridges constructed along the strategic link, the construction of two other bridges, at Sadlers Farm and Church Road, the deconstruction of the magic roundabout and easier access created to Benfleet and Canvey, all while keeping the roads largely open to traffic.

By the end of May, the strategic link will be open to two-way traffic, and drivers will have much easier access to and from Canvey.

We will be completely off the network by June 27, with the exception of a bit of tweaking of the lights until we get the sequence absolutely perfect.

I do, of course, regret people have been inconvenienced, but once the scheme is fully open, it will have a positive impact on the economy of south Essex and the travelling times of many thousands of drivers for decades to come.