The Isle of Wight council have announced that plans for the three 85-metre boreholes in the Leeson Road area are progressing, and that these could be drilled in August 2024.
The road was closed in December 2023 following a catastrophic Bonchurch Landslide, one of the largest landslides recorded on the South Coast of England. Several properties were evacuated and the road remains closed to all traffic, including pedestrians.
The council explain more about the boreholes,
The purpose of these is twofold: firstly to help understand the nature of the underlying geology in the area and secondly to allow monitoring equipment to be installed deep underground.
The data gathered from these devices will add to that already being collected and will assist Island Roads and the council in the aim of creating an early warning system that will be pivotal to the intended re-opening Leeson Road.
Work on possible models for an early warning system is already underway.”
The council went on to say,
“We fully understand the problems being faced by the Ventnor community as a result of recent events and we have been working hard with numerous agencies and partners to find resolutions to what are difficult and highly technical issues.
“Our intention remains to re-open all these important routes as soon as we are confident it is safe to do so and I am glad to say that while there is still work to be done and issues to be overcome, we are making steady progress.
“The progress made this week by Southern Water at Newport Road is the most immediate bit of good news but we are also moving forward on the other more complex issues at Leeson Road and Gills Cliff Road also.
“This work will continue and I can assure residents that we are all pulling together with the common aim of improving access in the town as soon as it is possible.”
