A paperwork blunder has delayed a court case at the heart of the ongoing closure of Bath Road in Ventnor – a delay that adds to nearly 18 months of mounting community tension.
The case relates to a collapsed retaining wall that has forced the closure of Bath Road – overlooking the Esplanade – since October 2023, prompting growing frustration among residents and traders. The frustration came to a head last month when locals took matters into their own hands.
Richard Burrows, the owner of the adjacent property and director of Burrows 2 Investments Ltd, is appealing a repair notice issued by the Isle of Wight Council. He argues that the wall is not within his ownership and, therefore, is not his responsibility to fix.
However, the appeal has been delayed twice now due to the summons being incorrectly sent to Ringway Island Roads Ltd., rather than the local authority. The case was originally listed on 19th March but was adjourned when Ringway stated the summons had been misdirected.
Yesterday (Monday), Mr Burrows appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court, alongside a representative from Ringway Island Roads. The case was once again adjourned after the error was repeated.
Richard Burrows told the court:
“The wall at the bottom of the garden has collapsed, causing the road to be closed for two years. Traders in Ventnor are frustrated. It’s like any small seaside resort – it struggles anyway and this is adding to the town’s problems.
“Ventnor has all sorts of landslip problems and I don’t want to take responsibility for this”.
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He maintains the wall was constructed as part of the original road infrastructure and predates the house, stating:
“The wall was built by the authorities who built the road. The road came before the house. It’s not owned by me, it can only be owned by the adjoining owner, which is the council.
“There needs to be a court hearing to determine who owns the wall – that’s the nub of the issue.”
Mr Burrows also cited Land Registry documents, which he claims show the wall lies outside of his property boundary.
Both the Council and Island Roads have previously stated that the collapse is that of a private wall, and it is the responsibility of that private landowner to make the required repairs.
A representative for Ringway Island Roads told the court the summons should be properly served to Colin Rowland, Strategic Director of Community Services at the Isle of Wight Council.
Local councillor Ed Blake has responded to this latest development, stating:
“This a complete mess, and in the meantime, the only people feeling the ill effects are the rest of the residents and businesses of Ventnor; all of whom are innocent parties.
“The IW Council needs to get the road open, stop the spiralling costs, and sort it out in the Courts at a later date. What a situation we are in where common sense is seemingly non-existent.”
The matter has now been adjourned to a future date, further delaying any potential resolution and the long-awaited reopening of Bath Road.
Simple. Take the wall down then and wait for his property to slide down the hill. Then he can let his insurance hear his argument. I’m sure they’d have a field day, what with the added compensation to the council when it does. Or…he could cut the court costs now and simply offer to go halves. He won’t do either of those things though, I know him.
It makes me wonder who actually runs the island!
Look at the shambles Sandown as become,
the council need to take control and sort the
sh*t out.
Devolution will solve the problem.
Just open the bloody road.
Time they open the road, all other roads into
ventnor would have fallen into the sea.
Mr Burrows is a Chartered Surveyor and his company is involved in the Development of Building Projects
As of 2024 the company has Investment Projects of over £16M
Be interesting if this property is one of them
I’ve never known in my 62 years such utter crap , disappointment and frustration this island has become. To allow a road over 2 years to be shut and no opening in sight shows what a complete shit show it has become.
All the parties involved should take a long walk off a short pier.
Us minions would have sorted this a long time ago with all it’s technicalities.
I’ve seen ants with more sense . Unbelievable, looking forward to over two years for the other landslip to be sorted . Shame on the parties involved.
To right