At last night’s Isle of Wight council Executive meeting, members voted in favour of allocating up to £500,000 to explore three possible options on Undercliff Drive.
Now funding has been agreed, the next stage in the ongoing saga will be for three possible options to be explored.
Those, as set out in previous reports are:
- Option 1 – re-establish pedestrian access only (£250,000 to £500,000).
- Option 4 – establish a new access road to properties along the base of the cliff (£200,000 to £500,000).
- Option 5 – establish a temporary low cost road from the west (initially less than £100,000).
Assurance of swift action sought
Residents who were evacuated by the council in February 2014 – and are only able to access their homes by foot and at their own risk – will be seeking assurances from the council that the matter is now dealt with as quickly as possible.
How long the next stage will take is unknown or whether the items need to return to Executive for approval.
The vote
Cllrs Jon Gilbey and Richard Priest left the chamber during the deliberation due to a personal interest in another expenditure (Rush Close) included on the agenda item.
All other councillors present voted in favour of the budget funding allocation, except Cllr Kendall who abstained.
Declaration of interest
At the beginning of the meeting, deputy leader of the council Steve Stubbings sought advice of the Monitoring Officer, Davina Fiore, as to whether he needed to declare an interest. Undercliff Drive falls within his county council ward.
Mrs Fiore asked whether he had personal or business connections along Undercliff Drive. Cllr Stubbings replied he did not, so it was therefore not necessary for him to declare an interest.
