Author: Sally Perry
Further Landslide on Military Road (updated)
2:28 pm Tuesday, 23rd February, 2010, Isle of Wight
ShortURL: http://wig.ht/26cl
Read More- Isle of Wight Council, News, Roads, West Wight
Users of the Military Road and readers of VB will be aware of the landslide near Brook that took place the weekend before last.
Sadly it appears today that another landslide has occured, resulting in part of the Miltary Road being sectioned off for single lane traffic and the edge of the cliff moving ever closer to the road.
Temporary traffic lights are in place and safety barriers being installed.
The council tell us that they’ve been “carrying out daily safety inspections on the road for several weeks.”
Peter Hayward, Isle of Wight Council Head of Highways and Transport said “Some sections of coastline near the Military Road are eroding much more quickly than in previous years due to the really wet weather we have seen this winter.
“We will continue to monitor the road and will take further appropriate action should the stability of the highway be threatened.
“We are working on a number of options for the long-term future of the road and these will be considered by the council’s cabinet in March”
Update: Jill Wareham, Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for the Island, is calling again for urgent discussions to take place to save the Military Road.
Jill Wareham said “I have been monitoring the cliff falls at the narrowest point between the cliff edge and the road for the past 5 weeks. The cliff has fallen at least 5 metres in those 5 weeks. At that rate the road will have to be closed completely in a month’s time. The Council has now put barriers alongside this part of the road and traffic lights for one way traffic.
“The work on the viaduct at Brighstone has been postponed from this year to next year. I am beginning to think that this Council wants to forget about the ‘Back of the Wight’ with the complete failure to tackle the Military Road and the Undercliff Road problems.
“If the Isle of Wight Council waits until March 30th to discuss the road it is likely to be closed completely. There appears to be a complete lack of urgency – where is the local Ward Councillor and Cabinet member for transport?
“The loss of this part of the road would have a devastating effect on the residents of Brook, the leisure users of Compton Bay and will have a major impact on the businesses in Freshwater Bay.
Many thanks to VB reader, Vix Lowthion for use of the photo and video of the road.
That’s very bad news, and so soon after the recent warnings. Down on Brook beach recently I could see the cliff just crumbling away before my eyes, so it’s not surprising, but as a regular user of the road it does worry me.
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I trust it is still safe to be using it? I wouldn’t want someone disappearing over the edge if it decides to slide again!!!
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I’m sure the road is as safe as the carpark at hanover/compton IE people park there but it’s clearly falling into the sea!
I saw quite a few coaches going through the lights today – an obviously it’s on a double-decker bus route too.
I’m curious to know their ‘number of options for the long term future of the road’ to be discussed in March (Military Road will have probably fallen into the sea by then at this rate).
I think the options are:
1. Do nothing – let the coastal erosion take its course and the road fall into the sea. What a waste of money on all the improvements made in the past couple of decades. Plus, traffic diverted through the villages of Brook and perhaps Brighstone would badly affect these villages and probably result in death/injury. Nevermind the fact that the stationary ambulances at Freshwater Golf Course can usually reach southwight in 15mins in an emergency… no military rd = much slower reponse times. I think when dealing with personal property affect by coastal erosion (eg east of england) then it’s understandable to have to let things go. but when you’re dealing with significant infastructure like the Military Road (nevermind it’s beauty and tourist value) then action must be taken.
2. Redirect the road further inland. Probably not a long term option, and the inland road there is marshy.
3. Build a bridge from Brook carpark to compton/hanover. Most expensive I’m sure, but it’s the only way I can see the road remaining.
Either way, nothing will happen for a good few years. It’s gone :(
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lol… there will be nothing left for them to eventually discuss this issue in March.
It’s not as if this has suddenly happened! I like it how they`ve now pulled out all the stops after their highly effective lovely green barriers and stuck traffic lights instead.
With this rain and saturated ground this road is going to be closed by the weekend. Amazing considering when I only said a week or so ago that it would only last 6 months.
The council need to put some emergency drainage in the surrounding area and then some concrete blocks at the base. As with most things (including non-IWC related things) by the the time they react it’s going to be closed and simply cost more in the long term to fix.
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The ‘drainage and blocks’ solution you mention sounds a lot like the work carried out at Puckaster a few years ago. I think this project cost in the region of £4million, from national and international sources. I don’t think we have time to persuade these people to dig into their pockets to finance a similar operation for the Military Road, desirable as it might be.
The Island (and its problems) is not near the top of many lists of priorities and I fear that the Military Road will be left to the forces of the sea and managed retreat.
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It’s not just the sea that is causing the erosion though, is it? It is the drainage problems and the blue galt? I guess you have to take into account all the geology of the area.
Haven’t we got all the pfi money to play with?
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Assume that nothing will be done unless we start shouting loud and now. Please take time to click here and add your name to this petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/southwightroads/
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Jill Wareham- the liberal candidate at the election lives out that way. She’s been asking what the council propose to do about it for weeks. Trouble is, she herself didn’t seem to have a clue in the ten or more years she was on the council. I wonder if she has any idea now? And of course where they’ll get the money!
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I hear the boy Pugh is on his way out to look at it. It’s the last landslide he’s ever likely to be involved with.
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That made me laugh.
Don’t get to close to the edge someone might push!
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Perhaps Island Shocker has only just moved to the Isle of Wight. I held many public meetings, supported by many local people, lobbied my colleagues and pushed for the work to be done on the Afton Down piece of the road and the road north of Hanover Point. This work was finally completed in autumn 2003. I think you are being disingenuous to suggest I didn’t have a clue – I’ve been fighting for keeping the Military Road open for over 16 years. What are the Tories going to leave us with – Coppins Bridge to go round and round?
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Well well Jill, you seem not to have answered my question! You are at least a proper politician. How are we to fix the collapsed road, where will the money come from? Will you neutralise English Nature, The National Trust and goodness knows who else?
You may have been involved (getting millions of EU pounds in subsidy) in the fixing of the Military Road in 2003 – but you were involved in lots of bad things too. Undercliff Drive, failing schools, neglect of roads, highest ever council tax rises while stashing millions for the Tories to spend. I could go on eh. I wish you luck with election. Having failed to stay on the council I think you may have your work cut out.
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The Road should be re-aligned and there are ways that can be done.
The Tories wasted well over £1.3 million on the witch hunt called the Undercliff enquiry. They also lost millions of pounds in government funding to re-align the Undercliff Drive.
The Tories have taken 5 years of left turn, right turn, U turn to decide that we were right to change the school system to two tier.
In the twenty five years I have lived on the Island I have never known the roads to be so bad due to complete lack of maintenance in the last 5 years.
The Tory Council remains a two star authority even though they have spent millions on highly paid chief executives, interim directors, consultants and an overstaffed PR department. If you think they are so good tell me what they have to show for the millions of wasted tax payers money.
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What have they got to show for the wasted millions THREE TOILETS.
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Jill, i have to repeat Island Shockers question. Where will the money come from?
Its a simple question, so please answer it. Forget what the tories may have wasted and not done. If you get voted in, where will you find the money to fix the road?
Please dont prevaricate, please dont attemt to answer the question you think should have been asked instead. Just tell us:
Where are you going to find the money to fix the road if you are elected?
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Oh Jill ‘ five years of Tory neglect wrecked the roads’ You’re a very funny woman. Your lot ignored the roads for 17 years! The Libs, with you at the centre, presided over the illegal Undercliff Drive shambles – the law was broken, what were they supposed to do, turn a blind eye?
As for your ‘save the Military Road’ cry, you clearly haven’t got a clue how much it would cost nor where they’d find the millions needed. Typical politician, Yell, make a noise but fail to provide real answers.
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I think it is a bit sad that you are making this a political issue. The erosion near Brook was highlighted last year by two local parish councillors. I am picking up on their concerns and trying to highlight to as many people as possible what the problems are. The issue here is are we as Island residents happy to let the road fall over the cliff and not do anything about it. Last time the Military Road was at risk the funds were found through the Council. We need to investigate all avenues of funding – local Government, regional Government, national government, European money. If people feel strongly enough about re-aligning the road we have to lobby the appropriate authorities.
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Jill, it IS a political issue unfortunately. It shouldnt be but it is. For some strange reason, politicians decide who gets money for what. Ive always thought politicians should be people who know what theyre on about, ie for transport have a bus driver or a train driver. For health, have a doctor.
We’ve all had enough of politicians talking far too much and having no idea what the reality of life at the coalface is. Unfortunately, nowadays, after 5 mins on the internet any idiot can sound like they know what theyre on about. Engineers are needed to fix the road. they should examine it, decide what to do, then tell the council how much money they need to do it. Its then the councils job to find that money.
As for turning this comment thread into a political discussion, i think its you that did that. you brought the tories into the argument.
Oddly enough, most people dont give a rats arse what has been done in the past or what political lobbying you have done. they want to know what you are going to do RIGHT NOW to fix the road. Or indeed, what the council overall will do. We dont want committees to discuss fixing it, we dont want excuses, we want it fixed as soon as humanly possible.
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Come on Jill, your party was in power at County Hall until 2005. You had no idea of how to run a council or anything else come to that. Let’s talk about St Lawrence, or would you rather not. Let’s talk about some of your councillors who were less that white, rather not talk about that either. Let’s talk about how you left the council without doing anything. Why are the roads such a mess, the libs did sod all. Admit it Jill, you didn’t know what was in the reserves because people like you and Reg with little between their ears (I think it is called a brain) didn’t care. A lot of your decisions have left us where we are today. YOu should be ashamed of yourselves, not out their praising yourself. God only knows what will happen if you get elected as MP. Perhaps I should warn everyone now, MOVE. The lib dems did enough damage at county hall without Jill in parliament. Jill you will never be like Steve Ross. Your cronies in the libs are as bad as you. I am seriously worried about this Island and it is a shame not one of the political parties are. They are all out for their own good, they care not one jot for the people who live here. Never have done and never will. Jill just go away please.
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Jill – Pot calling the kettle black. Doesn’t your Bob Blezzard make everything a political issue. If it wasn’t for him the parishes and town councils might have more of a voice in County Hall. Libs caused the roads to be in such a state because they were a do nothing council, accept it and move on. As for the military road read what others are saying about the cost and stop burying your head.
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How much Jill? It’s easy to say what should be done – a lot harder to say how it should be done. Answer the question eh pet?
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To be frank, Nobby has probably got more chance of being elected.
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Jill, Jill, you naughty girl. Not politicial? Come off it. Explanation please, why have you sent a letter to all town and parish councils about the Military Road asking them to lobby Edward Giles. Lobby Jill – that is political and town and parishes as you should very well know do not lobby.
You state in your letter to towns and parishes that the letter is not a political letter yet you sign it Jill Wareham, Prospective Parliamentary Liberal Candidate and it is printed on Liberal Paper, with your agent Bob Blezzard’s details on the bottom.
Jill do you all think we are daft, or my dear, is it you that are the silly one.
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If you give me your name and which parish or town council you are from I will reply. My email address is jill_wareham@hotmail.com. Your comments suggest you are happy to let the Military Road slide into the sea and not be replaced.
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How dare you put words into my mouth. I said nothing about my feelings about the Military Road. My argument is that your letter which you stated was non-political was. You signed yourself as prospective candidate and it came out from the liberal agent. You also advocated lobbying island councillors. You also assume I am a councillor or clerk, wrong again. I just do not like people like you trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes. You have made this political if only by the letter you and your agent have written.
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surely there is some source in Europe for money – a few years ago the high bit over the chalk was saved from this source. But would BoyPugh deign to apply -he’s very anti-Europe. Harry Rees told me a year or so ago that Pugh calls him in as Harry is a bit of an expert on European finance (ironically he used to represent Shanklin South, Pugh’s current domain). So Pugh needs help even from the dastardly Lib Dems!
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This weather is no good! Drove home via middle rd and Brook as concerned the wet ground would give way!
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The size of the Tory majority is purely down to major mess caused by the LibDems, therefore they are are partly to blame for the current disaster.
The LibDems need a complete clearout of all the old school and to field new, fresh candidates
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Good point No5. The Libs are responsible for the Toy landslide (forgive the pun) because we hated them so! I see in todays County Press a letter pointing to Reg Barry’s large part in the Undercliff Drive shame and a story about more bad behaviour by a Lib councillor. This story reminded me of last years trouble that another Lib had – spitting in the street that time. Blimey, now we have two spitting Liberals, what is it that makes them spit? At least the Tories ‘only’ use foul language.
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in reading these comments, it does seem that it is progressing into a political “lets blame you” no “lets blame them”. surely the biggest issue of how to save the military road and it’s natural beauty of the area is of the higher importance. surely as a small island all members for us regardless of political standing should be rallying to find solutions. unless we get to the stance that rain is labour, soil liberal and apathy (at the moment it seems)conservative. lets look at the bigger picture here!
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So now we know, the council’s roads bloke says up to ten million to save this bit of road. Blimey, I hope he’s got a couple of other quotes? Still, unlike ‘let’s fix it at any cost’ Jill Wareham, he did come up with a figure. Ten million? A lot of money but not if you think it’s only 8 years of the council’s communications budget.
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10 million? fair enough. considering the work that would have to be done that sounds like quite a fair price.
Not sure its worth paying it tho when other roads are available. Maybe the council should save up a bit and do the job properly in a few years time rather than rush into anything.
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What other roads are available? I take it you don’t live anywhere around here…
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVEJeXDRiEI
Such a beautiful road.
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Well done Jill even if it costs ten million money well spent .Keith Newbery wrote a good article in the Weekender supporting your efforts more power to Ms wareham’s elbow was his quote.
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Keith who? Is he the bloke who’s always banging on about cricket or his mates Mal and Fred? Hardly a ringing endorsement for poor old Jill. I’d say she was better off without him. Ten million quid? you could look after an awful lot of vulnerable adults with that kind of money – but if some of you would rather spend it moving 300 yards of road that’s your call.
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Hear Hear! Well said.
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Nice to know you read Keith Newbery Mal and Fred I reckon your well into Keith go on admit it such detail.
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