An emergency road closure has been put in place following the collapse of a retaining wall and significant cracking in the highway at Belgrave Road, Ventnor.  The closure also includes Esplanade Road in the interests of the residents’ safety incase of falling debris.

We have been continuing to undertake regular visual site inspections and monitoring of the wall movement and cracking both at the top of the terrace and the middle and lower sections. This has shown no further significant movement of the top wall since our last update and no additional cracking or deterioration was observed in the middle or lower wall above Esplanade Road.  The wire netting also continues to work effectively to contain any falling debris.

We have also carried out a further specialist monitoring survey on site to give us a more accurate quantitative picture of any ongoing movement and this will be repeated in April.  This will help us to determine when we might be able to carry out some initial investigative work on site.

With the current measures in place around the Coronavirus outbreak we are striving to balance the work we need to do to maintain the safety of the highway network, with what remains our key priority – to protect the public health of our staff, their families and the community.

For this reason, while we will continue to undertake regular monitoring on site to ensure it remains a safe environment, it is unlikely that we will begin any investigative work on site in the foreseeable future.  We will keep this under regular review and take action when it is appropriate to do so, but we anticipate that the road is likely to remain closed for some time to come.

Behind the scenes though we will continue to look together at possible solutions and timeframes as well as looking at employing the appropriate specialists when we can safely access the site.

We appreciate your continued patience, understanding and cooperation as we manage this ongoing situation.

We will post a further update when there are any significant developments to report, but in the meantime, if you have any concerns please call Island Roads on 01983 822440 or email info@islandroads.com