Hot on the heels of the latest news about Belgrave Road, the Isle of Wight share an update on other closed roads around Ventnor and Bonchurch.
Bath Road (which runs up from the seafront behind the Spyglass Inn) has remained closed since October 2023. In April 2025, it was stated that Isle of Wight Council would will fund the repairs. Then in May 2025 the council said that temporary solutions were being explored.
Magistrates court
They now advise that there is still a legal dispute over the ownership of a retaining wall. The council will attend a magistrates court hearing at the end of September to resolve this matter.
Once ownership is legally established, they plan to begin repairs and work to reopen the road as soon as possible.
Southgrove Road: Investigations underway
Investigations are ongoing to assess the condition of a private retaining wall that supports a road leading into Southgrove Road.
As ownership of the wall cannot be confirmed, the council has taken responsibility for organising the necessary repairs. Once the investigations are complete, they will share a schedule of works.
Retaining walls: Shared responsibility
As anyone who has visited the town will be aware, Ventnor has many retaining walls alongside its roads.
The council say that “due to limited resources” they cannot take on responsibility for all of them.
They remind property owners that they are responsible for maintaining any retaining walls on their land to ensure they are safe and do not pose a risk to pedestrians or road users.
Risk assessment programme launched
To help manage this, the council has started a risk assessment programme.
This includes:
- identifying ownership of retaining walls;
- assessing their condition;
- creating a proactive plan to respond quickly if any walls show signs of failure.
Bonchurch Shute
As reported by OnTheWight earlier in the week, a short stretch of Bonchurch Shute has been temporarily closed this week following a rockfall incident that saw a “sizeable boulder” land on the footway below.
The council say that safety teams have carried out an initial assessment and found there is a risk of further rockfalls.
A spokesperson for Isle of Wight Council said,
“Concerns have also been raised about the large trees growing above the rock face, which are adding weight to the rock mass and sending roots into the rock layers —potentially making the area more unstable.
“We are working with the landowner to resolve the issue as quickly and safely as possible.
“Although the road is closed to through traffic, pedestrian access remains open, and all properties along Bonchurch Shute are still accessible.”
