After a recent lull in activity, works are finally set to get underway to reopen the Ventnor seawall after the Isle of Wight Council’s planning application was submitted to the Maritime Management Organisation (MMO) last week.
As previously reported by the Island Echo, a potential environmental disaster was identified in November 2022 as damage caused by mother nature had left a sewer pipe serving more than 3,000 properties in the local area in danger of releasing its contents into the sea.
At the public meeting to discuss the future of the seawall, held on 21st February, it was suggested that works would commence before the end of March but Island Echo understands that delays to the licence applications, as well as a further collapse of the affected area in recent weeks, has meant that works will not now commence until 1st May.
In the application, it has been stressed that the works need to be completed before the winter storms as ‘storms will cause further failure and damage to the existing seawall resulting in unacceptable risk both to health and safety (workers and property above) and the environment (from risk of sewer collapse and landslip) and whilst temperatures permit faster concrete curing times’.
However, the application also states that works are expected to last approximately 30 weeks, which from 1st May, would run into early December – well into Winter. This does at least tally with what residents were told at the public meeting that there was no prospect of the seawall reopening in any capacity until late 2023, as previously reported by Island Echo.
In the long-term, the Ventnor seawall will benefit from up to £54.7million of government funding along with schemes at Embankment Road (Bembridge), Shanklin and Yaverland.
The Ventnor defences are owned and maintained by Isle of Wight Council but the Environment Agency is working on the council’s behalf to develop a business case for future investment. They say that ‘current estimates suggest the Ventnor scheme would be eligible for about £41million of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Grant in Aid funding’, making it 1 of the biggest public infrastructure projects on the Island.
Full consultation has been promised over the next couple of years with the final works expected to take several years. Local businesses and charities, including Ventnor Skatepark Group, which has already been deeply affected by the closure and the impending works, will be hoping that these consultations will provide positive long-term results having been denied any compensation for the detrimental short-term effects of the problem.
The planning application can be found here using the reference MLA/2023/00161 under Marine Licence Application and Requests while information provided by the Environment Agency about the scheme can be found here.
Gabion cages would allow slight land movement without cracking, also they allow water through to prevent heavy water logged soil forcing solid walls to buckle.
They are cheap and easy to move and make into whatever size and shape is required and can be made in stainless steel for seaside locations.
Friendly to wildlife and less Co2 than concrete, so the council will not be using them
Didn’t take the gibion cages sales person to arrive
Please tell the iow council and the structural engineers workers there of your superior knowledge.
Glad to see local structural engineers posting in the comments section, that’s where the project designers get all their necessary case studies and data from.
Don’t know why they’re bothering really. I never use this revetment. Better off spending the money on something more useful.