Steps announced to ensure traffic chaos "cannot be repeated" in village
WENTWORTH Woodhouse have announced a shake-up of traffic management arrangements for events following a weekend event described as a “shambles”.
Visitors reported a 25 minute journey to the stately home taking one and a half hours in one case, with many others reporting delays so long they missed some attractions at the weekend’s hot-air ballooning event.
The situation resulted in an immediate apology from Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, the organisation which looks after the house and gardens.
The event was staged by an outside organisation, which was responsible for traffic management.
According to the trust, that was not put in place as expected - and in future they plan to take responsibility for all traffic management.
Those affected included villagers as well as those visiting Wentworth Woodhouse.
The trust’s chief executive, Sarah McLeod, said in as statement: “On behalf of everyone at Wentworth Woodhouse, I would like to offer our sincere apologies to all visitors who experienced difficulties travelling to and from Wentworth Woodhouse and Wentworth village.
“For every major event held at Wentworth Woodhouse, we require organisers to demonstrate that they have met all traffic management requirements and capacities set out by the Local Authority Safety Advisory Group.
“Regrettably, on this occasion, the event organiser failed to deliver the agreed traffic management arrangements in accordance with their contractual obligations.
“This fell well below the standards we expect and, for that, we are truly sorry.
“We recognise the frustration and inconvenience this caused to our visitors, local residents and the wider community.
“I want to assure everyone that we will not be working with this organiser again.
“Ultimately, responsibility for the safety, enjoyment and overall experience of our visitors rests with me.
“We have carefully reviewed what happened, identified the lessons to be learned, and are already implementing measures to ensure a situation like this cannot be repeated.
“For future events, traffic management will be overseen directly by the Wentworth Woodhouse team or by our appointed contractors, who have extensive knowledge of the site and its operational requirements.”
Wentworth Woodhouse is used as a venue for outside events - the RHS flower show was staged there last year.
But some villagers have reservations about the impact of traffic on their quality of life.