In response to three petitions requesting action over Eltham’s decaying roads and pavements Greenwich Council have declined to take any action.
The petitions were collected by Eltham Park and Progress candidates Ben Crompton and Elizabeth Drury from residents on Eltham Park Gardens, Dunvegan Road and the middle section of Elibank Road. Elizabeth organised for the petitions to be formally presented at a Council meeting by Conservative Deputy Leader Cllr Charlie Davis and the formal responses were published at the September meeting of Full Council this week.
The three identical responses matched one presented by Shooters Hill Conservatives where residents were informed that their road was “not included in the current year’s resurfacing programme” but “your road may be considered for inclusion in a future year”.
The fact that the roads are not going to be repaired is no surprise given the Council’s current policy remains one of managed decline as outlined by the Eltham Matters blog in April this year. Indeed the promise of a Highway Infrastructure Management Plan (HIAMP) to manage roads in December 2024 changed by June 2025 to a claim that there had always been a plan and the Council was working to update it by summer 2025. Unfortunately it is hard to avoid the conclusion the Council has no structured policy on roads and pavements except ‘managed decline’ as it has not managed to produce a proper highways plan yet.
In December 2024 the Council stated:
“The Council is working to develop a Highway Infrastructure Management Plan (HIAMP) which sets out its strategic approach to managing highway assets”
In June 2025 the Council stated:
“Originally prepared in 2019, the HMP is currently being updated to reflect any updates in best practices, with completion expected by summer 2025.”
To our knowledge no new policy has been published as yet.
Conservative candidate for Eltham Park and Progress ward Elizabeth Drury commented “Greenwich Council’s failure to properly maintain roads and pavements is a symbol of its poor management and fiscal irresponsibility. Ben and I promise to keep up our campaign to repair not just Eltham’s roads but also the cracked and uneven pavements which present such difficulties to those with mobility issues.”