Plans to install sustainable roadside drainage systems in Gurnard have officially been scrapped, with Southern Water and the Isle of Wight Council confirming that the scheme will not proceed and that affected roads will be returned to their original condition.
The pilot project on Woodvale Road and Solent View Road aimed to manage surface water and reduce storm overflows, but ongoing concerns around who would be responsible for long-term maintenance have ultimately brought the trial to a halt.
Work had already been paused for several weeks due to a permitting issue, as previously reported by Island Echo.
At the time, talks were ongoing between Southern Water, the Isle of Wight Council, and Island Roads amid concerns about legal and financial arrangements necessary for the scheme to move forward.
Despite efforts to find a viable solution, all parties have now agreed to discontinue the project, citing maintenance costs as the final barrier.
Keith Herbert, Engineering Lead for Southern Water’s Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force, has said:
“We’re really disappointed we won’t be able to deliver this scheme, especially given the huge success we’ve already had in cutting storm overflows on the Isle of Wight, investing more than £18 million and stopping more than 500 releases to date – and Gurnard has been on the front line of that activity.
“Following lengthy discussions with the Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads, we were unable to agree maintenance costs that we would have to pay at a level representing value for money to our customers.
Article continues below this advertisement “This means we will reinstate Woodvale Road and Solent View Road to their original condition, and instead explore other more sustainable and cost-effective projects to protect our rivers and seas in collaboration with partners.
“We would like to sincerely apologise to residents of these two streets and to the wider community and local businesses for the disruption caused by the roadworks – and thank those campaigners, community groups and councillors who supported this project.”
The Gurnard scheme was part of a broader programme of ‘nature-based’ solutions planned across the Isle of Wight. The project was designed to slow down rainwater entering the sewer system, targeting 1.72 hectares of roadside land and aiming to divert an estimated 170,000 litres of water during typical rainfall.
No confirmed replacement projects have yet been announced, but officials say lessons from the trial will inform future initiatives. Updates are expected in due course.
Aww, would the cost have eaten into their profits? Maybe it’s time to take water and roads back into public ownership then. We don’t need profit, we just need services that work.
You really couldn’t make it up.
Now, who will pay for all the works done, now undone, so far? Let me see if I can guess…
I cannot believe that this project was even started without every aspect being agreed and signed off. To cancel it because they can’t agree who is responsible for the ongoing maintenance is nothing short of pathetic. I wonder if anyone in either organisation could even make a cup of tea!
And it’s so called projects like this that have pushed up our water charges, can we have a refund please?
Doesn’t surprise me, drainage on the island is
sh*t!
You do need profit to reinvest but there is a strong case to bring water and energy back into public ownership