A newly-elected councillor has said that Ventnor is now a town of ‘8,000 people now clinging to a rock’ following last week’s public meeting on the future of Leeson Road. Councillor Ed Blake has said it is frustrating that Ventnor residents have not been given a definite idea of when the Shanklin to Ventnor route will reopen following last year’s landslide, adding it would be easier to understand if the road didn’t exist anymore. Hundreds of Ventnor residents gathered at St Catherine’s Church on Thursday to hear if Leeson Road will reopen anytime soon. But, as previously reported by Island Echo, the Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads have kept stumm about how long it will take to conduct monitoring of the area in order to reopen the road. It was confirmed at last week’s meeting that Leeson Road has no signs of cracks and has maintained its integrity. 
Councillor Blake, who represents Ventnor and St Lawrence, has said there was a ‘baying mob atmosphere’ during the meeting at times and said one should have been held earlier in the year. Reacting to the atmosphere, Cllr Blake has said:
“I don’t blame the audience for getting like that. We all feel like that. I am pleased some information has come out, but equally frustrated we don’t have definite times.”
Cllr Blake has said he is extremely pleased to see the number of residents who attended and says it showed the ‘powers that be’ that residents are passionate about their town. He’s said:
“I appreciate where the council is coming from. They don’t want to be held to a deadline they can’t stick to, but it is frustrating, as a resident and business owner.”
Sadly come the summer Ventnor will be a ghost town with traffic missing the town via the only route in through Gills cliff-Newport Rd.
Was in Ventnor the other evening with friends who live on Leeson Road.
The town was empty and quite.
Come on IOWC do something to alleviate this issue, either by opening the rd or placing signs telling Ventnor is still open.
No decision will be made until the ground dries out in the summer (hopefully) when we will find out whether the ground has stabilised.
Quite what?
Ventnor full of klingons ? Jeez we’d better send for captain James t kirk…
“8,000 people now clinging to a rock”
What an incredibly stupid and meaningless comment. The situation is hardly apocalyptic. A road is closed for safety reasons. There are other roads. Grow up.
Tory voters getting their just deserts. Voted for decades of spending cuts now wondering why their town is falling into the sea. Maybe if sea defences were properly maintained they would still have their homes.
Err, it was the rain wot did it.
What a dick what has sea defences to do with the houses collapsing?
When it was pointed out some years back that the failure to deal with Undercliff Drive was a mistake, no notice was taken. It wasn’t needed. Now the main route has gone, the Wroxall route is continually going….Ventnor will be back to Victorian times, only accessible by boat! Oh sorry, the pier has also gone.
The access issue was why the railways went to Ventnor in the first place, but of course… they were not needed either.
So good old Whitwell is going to be the main route…until that gets blocked by a loony with a loud exhaust having a mare.
Still, we can console ourselves that at least High Point Rendell won’t be given the repair contract….but knowing this council, who can say anything for certain?
The Island is falling apart, too much building is
causing these problems, stop building on Cliff tops,
Sandown and Shanklin have new apartments that
may cause structural damage in the near future.
As far as I can see, the only “information” that has come out is that the council has failed to do what it promised and has no plans do do anything in the near future despite claiming otherwise.
Sounds exactly like undercliff drive all over again.
What’s that old saying?
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me…
When Ocean View Road closes next ,it will mean no movement of busses, lorries etc into town, only access St Lawrence shute. Council need to get sorting asap and alternative . Can the railway tunnel not re-open?. Sorry for all those in Ventnor, can’t sell homes etc.