With the collapse of Ventnor’s overhang rock fresh in people’s minds (not least because of the help request recently sprayed onto the debris), it’s interesting to be reminded of the 2011 planning application to trim back the overhang and secure the remaining rockface with a structural steel mesh.
The application, submitted by the owner of Sea Cliff—the property is adjacent to the rock on Belgrave Road— was withdrawn after almost 50 objections were made. Objections that came from residents, the town council and the Isle of Wight CPRE.
Solutions offered
The Ventnor Town Council suggested that fencing or railings be used to prevent access under the rock as an alternative to the work proposed in the application.
Meanwhile, residents mostly spoke about the importance of retaining the iconic rock , which “had stood the test of time”, with suggestions such as planters being installed around the base of the rock to deter pedestrians walking underneath it, or the kerb being removed.
Could there have been a different ending?
As became evident six weeks ago, railings or planters around the base of the rock, would not have held back the rock collapse, which is now strewn across the carriageway and onto the road below.
However, what had been proposed by Hugh Rock (the landowner) in 2011, was to remove the overhang section and cover the face of the rock with a steel mesh netting, similar to that used following the rockface collapse in lower Gills Cliff Road in 2024.
Something that may well have resulted in avoiding the situation the town now finds itself in. Six weeks after the late night rockfall, the road is still closed.
