More than £4million has been spent on the new sea defences at Ventnor Eastern Cliffs – but the project is running behind schedule and won’t be completed until May, with disruption continuing into June. It was in November 2022 that the Isle of Wight Council closed part of Eastern Esplanade after a large hole and cracks appeared in the revetment beyond the skatepark. Within days part of the seawall had collapsed into the sea as winter storms battered the weakened defences which date back to the 1960s. Further investigations revealed extensive damage below the apron and the revetment, including badly corroded steel sheet piles. In May last year, work began to install more than 150 king piles and 146 timber panels in front of the existing seawall to create new defences which certainly proved their worth when Storms Babet and then Ciaran hit the Island in October and November. However, undertaking the urgent works over one of the wettest years on record has been incredibly challenging. Relentless storms with waves coming onto the promenade have hampered progress despite the best efforts of the council’s contractor. 
Progress has also not been helped by the exposed nature of the site and the discovery of further voiding towards the eastern end of the site which has required specialist stabilisation works. Unfortunately, these factors have led to an unavoidable delay in the reinstatement of the promenade. This initial scheme was due to be completed by March, but it is now anticipated that the site compound will be removed, the car park reinstated and the promenade reopened to the public from late May. Short, localised and temporary closures of the promenade will be required throughout May and into early June to complete additional repairs to Wheelers Bay sea wall. Natasha Dix, the council’s service director for environment and planning, has said:
“We’ve made great progress installing new sea defences, however delays caused by the extreme weather and discovery of further voiding mean we won’t be able to open the promenade in time for the Easter holidays. “We know how important this popular walking and cycling route is to the town, particularly local businesses, and our contractors have worked double tides at every opportunity to help finish the work as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the weather dictates progress and it has not been kind to us. “We understand the delays will be disappointing and we’d like to thank everyone for their patience. The new sea defences are now in place and doing their job to protect homes and businesses along this section of coastline. We now look forward to reopening the revetment in May.”
Please explain this to me. Natasha Dix hasn’t been down the seafront with her spade and bag pf concrete doing any of this work has she? So she is on a massive salary; pours out the rhetoric and pulls some random dates out of a hat and the project is months behind. Now this is standard for the IWC but my question is; Why pay her such a massive salary to then not deliver when you could pay someone minimum wage to sit at a desk (or more likely working from home), give random meaningless dates and whilst the result would be identical there would be a massive saving of wages and future pension payments. Obvious ain’t it??
So, not a Gabion Cage in sight. Much faster, cheaper, environmentally friendly, moveable, allow land water to drain through, etc etc, So won’t be used by this Council.
The word ” moveable ” should give you the clue