The Isle of Wight Council has admitted that they don’t know how long the steps at Alum Bay will be closed stating that they have to agree on costs and secure funding before works can be undertaken.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the steps were closed with immediate effect after they were deemed unsafe as a result of being constantly exposed to the elements and coastal weathering.
This has meant that anyone wishing to access the beach will have to exclusively use the park’s chairlift – which is a paid-for service and doesn’t run around the clock.
The formal path from the Needles Landmark Attraction was lost back in 2017 and since then the council have spent around £40,000 keeping the steps open so that members of the public can reach the West Wight beauty spot.
Works are currently being undertaken at the nearby Brambles Chine in Colwell where the slipway – which was deemed structurally unstable in February 2022 – is to be turned into steps. No timeframe has been given for these works.
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said:
“The Council have maintained public access to Alum Bay despite the formal path being lost many years ago. It is regrettable that the steps to the beach at Alum Bay have been closed, but the safety of the public has to be our priority.
Article continues below this advertisement “The site has been inspected and one flight of steps and a landing and walkway need to be replaced and realigned. At the same time, the final flight onto the beach will be straightened and strengthened. It is the second flight of steps (up from the beach) and the landing that have dropped and have insufficient support underneath.
“We will be liaising with local businesses in an effort to reopen the Needles path and steps, and whilst not ideal, subject to agreeing costs and securing funding, we will do our best to have the steps operational as soon as possible.”
Let’s all band together and stand up to the council. I will be setting up a fundraiser for these steps because these lazy so & so’s wont budge very fast. I will set the fundraiser for Sunday on alum bays beach…
Why don’t Alum Bay pay for it they charge enough for a parking spot at £6 and have contributed to the wear and tear with the tourists they attract. But of course they won’t as they benefit from the public using the chair lift.
And, don’t forget the boat companies who operate from the beach. £15 per person for a 15 minute trip on the fast boat. Perhaps they could contribute too.
Only used by tourists so who cares. Soon with all the building here fewer tourists will come back anyway.
Only game in town is building tiny breeding hutches for the tax credit funded to create more clones to do the same until the Island is ruined forever.
This is a typical situation caused by the council having ‘got rid of’ manual tradesmen. This sort of work has to sub contracted. Many things the council should do, and have done, have not been done at all and some accesses lost completely. Luccombe Chine steps are a typical example. There are others.
Imagine that! Outside steps on the coast being exposed to the elements and coastal weathering. Bally silly place to put coastal steps, on the coast, if you ask me. Should have put them in a former green field and called them Pan Meadows nice, new estate steps. Or Royal Wight development holiday home steps, the people would only walk on them for four weeks a year.
So waste millions on a not so floating bridge but no funds to repair steps. What a joke
Perhaps if Councillors had all taken a ‘reduced’ pay rise, the steps could have been replaced no probs!
This is not acceptable.
By closing access to the steps to the beach the only way is to pay a business to go down in their lift.
Why is the IW Council supporting a business to profit?
Perhaps the IWC could put the repair out to tender and accept the lowest bid instead of preferred supplier’s bid?
The IWC need to show they are supporting the residents and visitors and get the steps repaired before Easter.