Council leader issues update on the Military Road

Councillor Phil Jordan, Isle of Wight Council leader, said: "As local residents will be aware, we are experiencing the real effects of geological erosion on the Military Road (the A3055). There are three specific sites - the cliff top along Compton Down (Afton Down), and two sites between Brook and Compton Farm.

The road along Afton Down is currently considered to be relatively stable. Work was carried out in the late 1990s which included ground anchors and 27 metre piling into the chalk underneath the road to protect it from the eroding cliff face.

The more immediate concern is the erosion taking place between Brook and Compton Farm, known as Sites 14 and 15. This is being caused by natural coastal erosion, and water coming off the downs and forming chines by wearing down the soft clay and orange Wealden rock. This erosion process also provides the sand for our beaches at Shanklin and Sandown.

The Military Road is the responsibility of the Isle of Wight Council as the highway authority. However, the surrounding land and the land underneath is of mixed private and National Trust ownership. Many parts of this stretch of the road are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), and it is within the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Shoreline Management Plan produced by the council in partnership with the Environment Agency identifies the whole area as a ‘no active intervention’.

Island Roads recently submitted a planning application for a short-term solution for Site 14. This was refused by the council’s Planning Committee based on the above policy considerations and related objections from the National Trust and Natural England. A potential alternative option is to reroute this stretch of the road inland which would guarantee the route for a further 20 years or more.

The council has had positive discussions with the National Trust regarding relevant land in its ownership. We have approached the relevant government departments for their views on the rerouting option and the availability of funding for such works. Rough estimates suggest a figure of more than £20 million would be required to deliver this solution.

As you will also be aware, Leeson Road, which connects Shanklin with Bonchurch, is currently closed due to the landslide in November 2023, one of the largest of its kind on the south coast of England. The council has commissioned an independent landslide investigation and risk assessment of the affected area. In parallel to the council study, Island Roads has also commissioned engineers to assess the feasibility of opening of part or all of the road. The local community will be updated once the information on the two studies becomes available.

We will be holding a public meeting in Ventnor to update local residents on 29 February at 6pm. The meeting will be held at St Catherine's Church and will also include updates on Ventnor Eastern Esplanade, The Environment Agency’s Ventnor Coastal programme and Island Roads progress on the Rene Howe Walk (the Cascades)."

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