"Demands for firms to 'be accountable' for ownerless road"

Seemingly ownerless and unloved for more than a decade, Vanguard Avenue at Fatty Island, has become a problem for drivers



Confusion reigns over the ownership of Coventry’s ‘Grand Canyon’ pothole road – with a pensioner calling on someone to stand up and “be accountable”.

Vanguard Avenue has proved a nightmare for motorists as it is pitted with more than 30 potholes, giving it the nickname of Coventry’s ‘Grand Canyon’.

Just off Fletchampstead Highway, known locally as ‘Fatty Island’, the road serves a host of fast-food outlets including Starbucks, KFC and McDonald’s.

Pensioner Christine Stewardson has been on a quest to find out who owns it since March after her granddaughter Jessica hit two potholes while on a visit to Starbucks drive-thru in March, costing £280 in repairs.

But trying to find the owner has raised more questions than answers.

In April, Coventry City Council told us that the road is not part of their highway and they wouldn’t seek to adopt it as it ‘has no wider function’ other than serving the fast-food outlets.

Since then, two Land Registry documents obtained by Ms Stewardson and letters from the Crown Estate show the road is deemed escheat – common law which means the land is dealt with by the Crown Estate.

Solicitors on behalf of the Crown Estate have confirmed the road is “now effectively ownerless” but said an appropriate body could purchase it, which would “logically be the local authority or neighbouring landowners”.

They added: “If such a disposal never happens, then it is likely that the property will remain subject to escheat, effectively ownerless, indefinitely”.

When contacting the media office of all fast-food outlets on the road to see if they would take it on, all – including KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Subway, Greggs, and Oodles N’Ooodles – fell silent and did not offer any comment.

Now Coventry City Council has said it believes parts of the road could in fact be owned by a private company, which could help find a solution.

A spokesman added: “Our highways officers have identified a company that may be linked to the site. Officers have written to the company and are attempting to engage with them to find a solution to this ongoing issue.”

The original road owners Zedmate Developments (Coventry) Ltd fell into liquidation in 2010, with the Crown Estate holding the road until it transfers to new owners.

The Crown Estate’s role would be to transfer ownership of the road to a new person or body, however solicitors said it is “unlikely” they would interfere if a body decided to carry out repairs given it “appears to be a public health risk”.

Ms Stewardson, 70, said she wants the fast-food outlets to “be accountable” for the road that serves their customers.

She said: “I want them to stand up and be accountable for an area that is extremely dangerous and causing their customers a lot of damage to their vehicles.

“The Crown have said they are not the ones who maintain the road and said they are just holding it until somebody wants to buy it. The restaurants should buy it as a group and get it repaired or at least the council should.

“I have come this far and I do not want to see it fail but I feel like nobody is listening to me.

“I am not a quitter but I am coming to my last resort. I am so sad the problem is overlooked by so many. The underprivileged low earners are suffering for other people’s gains.”

Mystery pothole road dubbed Coventry's Grand Canyon finally fixed after years of misery



A Coventry road dubbed the city's 'Grand Canyon' because of its nightmare potholes has finally been fixed. For years motorists have had to contend with more than 30 potholes on Vanguard Avenue in Tile Hill.

Just off the Tile Hill Gyratory at Fletchamstead Highway, the road serves the area known as 'fatty island', given its title because of its proximity to a number of takeaways. At one point, potholes were so deep they were filled in with bricks.

Confusion has reigned over who is accountable to fix the road. Coventry City Council last told CoventryLive that the road is not part of their highway and they wouldn’t seek to adopt it as it "has no wider function" other than serving the fast-food outlets.

One motorist who fell foul of the potholes last year shelled out a £280 repair bill for their car. Another tracked down the original owners of the land through the land registry, calling upon them and the council to resolve it "in the public interest".

But on Saturday (March 12) the answer to residents' prayers seem to have been answered, as workers were seen filling in the potholes. The council told CoventryLive that they felt "compelled" to carry out the remedial works.

CoventryLive visited the site on Monday (March 14) where businesses spoke of their relief. Workers at Greggs said that Coventry City Council came in with a letter to explain they would be fixing the potholes as "a one-off."

Worker Matthew Atkins said: "We got a letter about it. It's heaven - the drama that had come with it, people were coming in with drama [over the potholes] and issues with their tyres. They (council) did a good job."

Next door, Subway worker Nav Narang also spoke of her relief that the potholes are gone: "It's good, it was causing long queues and stuff." She added it wasn't hugely disruptive, but was still unpleasant, adding: "It was all right, nobody complained, it just didn't look nice."

Across the way at Oodles and Oodles wok and grill restaurant, waitress Farah told CoventryLive: "Customers obviously could see how bad it was, we even wrote a letter [with other businesses.]. When you drive there you can see how bad it is, it was causing issues to everyone."

When asked how she felt about the potholes being filled in, Farah said: "Next level, that's good."

A Coventry City Council spokesman said: “Over the last year, the council has received a large volume of complaints and concerns about the bad condition of Vanguard Avenue. Vanguard Avenue is a private road and as such the upkeep of the road lies with the owners and businesses who reside on the road.

"Despite this, we felt compelled to act to ensure that the road was safe for road users to continue to use. As a result, officers from the council’s highways team attended Vanguard Avenue on March 12 to carry out remedial works to the street to make it safer to use.

"These essential works were paid for by the council on a one-time only basis. The future upkeep of the road continues to be the responsibility of the residents and businesses who reside on the road.“