Belgrave Road in Ventnor is set to be closed for several weeks – if not months – as the Isle of Wight Council looks to carry out further stability assessments, before then instructing even more assessments.
It was on 8th March that a large section of rock gave way in dramatic style, as previously reported by Island Echo. The collapse occurred on the same road that was closed in 2020 when cracks appeared in the road surface, before giving way weeks later. It took nearly 3 years to get the road reopened.
Now, more than 2 weeks after the rock collapse, locals have been questioning why the road remains closed with no apparent effort to clear the debris.
It has been confirmed by the Council that preliminary surveys have been carried out which have confirmed the rock to be at low risk of further collapse. However, the area below has been secured to ensure public safety.
To progress further, the Isle of Wight Council says it requires permission from a landowner to access the third-party land. It is only once permission is given that engineers will be able to assess the stability of the remaining rock face and the adjacent private structures.
Once these further assessments have been carried out, the Council will then instruct Island Roads to carry out yet another assessment – this time by a geological consultant. But the efforts to reopen the road don’t end there…
Upon completion of all the assessments, the Council will then draw up a plan with Island Roads as to how best to clear the rock. The clearing of the debris field will require specialist machinery and skilled workers, it’s claimed.
The situation sounds all too familiar for Ventnorians, echoing the situation at Leeson Road which was closed for months on a ‘just in case’ reasoning before then being reopened with nothing more than monitoring and assessments having taken place.
The Isle of Wight Council has been unable to give a timescale for these works but will be in a position to do so once a plan of action has been agreed.
Councillor Ed Blake has said:
”The Council needs to get on and make decisions. We cannot have yet another situation where procrastination is put ahead of action.
“It has been over two weeks since the event and that is more than enough time to survey, analyse and instruct within the framework.
“In the meantime, we have residents who are unable to access the town as the flat walk from the west of Ventnor has been diverted up over Alpine Road”.
It’s said that the local authority, and Island Roads, continue to be committed, along with local MP’s, councillors and residents, to finding solutions for the ongoing challenges impacting the road network in Ventnor.
About time they got off their ass and sorted it. What would the situation be if that were the only road in and out of Ventnor?
Tune in this time next year see if they did bugger all to sort it out.
surely it is upto the land owner to sort it out. Any idiot could see this was going to happen in time. Not up to the tax payer to fund it
Get the bloody diggers out and clear the road, f… your stability tests. If they had been any good, this rock would have been removed years ago rather than being left to perhaps kill someone.
Sadly Ventnor is becoming a no go zone.
No it isn’t
Anyone need any rock for their gardens? If all parties are denying ownership in order to avoid sorting the problem they can’t then claim taking it is illegal. We could probably clear the lot in 20 minutes, between us!