Councillor Ed Blake, the Isle of Wight councillor for Ventnor and St Lawrence, claims that the legal case affecting Bath Road in Ventnor, has only been submitted to the courts within the last month, despite the road being closed for 17 months.
Bath Road was closed to traffic in October 2023 after a garden wall collapsed onto the highway. The road has remained closed since, with the council issuing enforcement action, which they say was challenged by one of the two landowners in the Magistrates Court.
Recently, locals frustrated by the closure attempted to clear the debris blocking the road, but were told by the authorities that the road would remain closed until it was deemed safe to reopen.
Blake: “A case was only submitted to the courts within the last month”
However, Councillor Blake states that an Isle of Wight council officer has confirmed that there has been a significant delay in legal proceedings.
He told OnTheWight,
“For over a year, we have been told that there has been an ongoing legal dispute between the Isle of Wight council and the landowner regarding the collapsed wall that has closed Bath Road.
“We were led to believe that this matter was being heard in the Magistrates Court.
“However, we have now learned that this is not the case and that a case was only submitted to the courts within the last month.”
Legal wranglings
In May 2024 a public meeting was hosted by Isle of Wight council, which included the chief executive of Island Roads, Rob Gillespie, and representatives from the Environment Agency, to update residents on closures affecting Leeson Road, Bath Road and Lower Gills Cliff Road.
At the meeting, it was pointed by Mr Gillespie out that enforcement action against one of the two Bath Road landowners has begun, but this has been challenged by the land owner in the Magistrates Court.
Blake: Entirely unacceptable delay
Today, Councillor Blake said the delay is “entirely unacceptable”. He told OnTheWight,
“The claims made in public meetings that the Isle of Wight Council has been actively pursuing the landowner to repair the wall and reopen the road have proven to be false.
“For over a year, the council has failed to act, instead relying on the false narrative that the landowner was holding the town to ransom.
“The closure of this key road has had a significant impact on both residents and businesses along the seafront and surrounding areas. This delay is entirely unacceptable.”
Response from authorities
OnTheWight has approached Island Roads and Isle of Wight council for their response to the claims and will update this article once we hear back.
