Ventnor road to reopen for summer holidays after landslip closure
Leeson Road has been closed since December 2023
An Isle of Wight road that has been closed for months following a landslip will reopen for the summer holidays.
Leeson Road in Ventnor has been closed since December 2023 after homes were evacuated when 40 acres of land fell away from the cliffs.
Isle of Wight Council say following "increased monitoring" and with steps to protect drivers in place, the road will reopen at 10am on Wednesday ahead of the summer holidays.
Safety measures will include only one live lane running, controlled by traffic lights, and "regular visual checks" to ensure the road remains safe.
The Council hopes re-opening the road for the summer will support local residents and businesses at a time when the risk of landslips is reduced during the drier summer months.
Leeson Road is due to close at 10pm on Sunday 8 September to allowing for the drilling of three 85-metre boreholes that it is hoped will act as an early warning system for future landslips.
The road may stay open for longer if the borehole work is not ready to start on Monday 9 September.
Isle of Wight Council leader Phil Jordan said:
"As we have consistently said, it has always been our aim to restore access to Leeson Road as soon as it is safe to do so.
"While there remains consistent, if currently minor, movement, we are confident that with the measures we will be putting in place and with electronic monitoring systems now in operation, the risk posed by the prospect of further significant movement is acceptable when balanced against the need to support the Ventnor community through the busy summer season.
"It remains a key requirement to progress the next phase of monitoring which includes deep boreholes and the installation of monitoring equipment up to 85 metres below Leeson Road as this will allow the longer-term use of Leeson Road to be managed safely."