A councillor with Niton and Whitwell Parish Council explains the determined work they have been carrying out since the 2014 Undercliff Drive landslip and explains why reopening the road is crucial to the village's way of life
The Isle of Wight council say the cost to re-instate the road is estimated to be between £1 million and £2 million, dependent on whether the scheme allowed one or two-way traffic and if the new route was restricted to vehicles below a certain weight
At the recent announcement of new trains for Island Line, Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely raised several issues with the Transport Minister, including Undercliff Drive, cross-Solent ferries, a fixed link and an improved rail and cycle network.
Cllr Ian Ward also says it's his view the Isle of Wight needs to have Undercliff Drive road open again, but will not make a decision until after the consultation.
At meetings about Undercliff Drive the resounding opinion was that signage is woefully inadequate and needs to be resolved without delay. Residents say they’ve been met by a wall of silence from Isle of Wight council and in the meantime all properties have suffered damage.
Over 100 residents attended a meeting on Saturday to explore options of Undercliff Drive being reopened to through traffic, becoming a 'quiet road' and other suggestions. Vix Lowthion who chaired the meeting shares her report.
A coffee morning held in Niton will allow discussion the options of reinstating Undercliff Drive, keeping it as it is, or enhancing the route as a Quiet Road for the use of residents, visitors, cyclists, horse riders and walkers.
Were you under the impression that once the access road was built for residents in the landlocked properties on Undercliff Drive everything went back to normal? Sadly, it appears this was not the case and here are just a few reasons why.
The Ombudsman said there was no evidence that IWC or Island Roads dealt with the road failure diligently, or as a priority and accused IWC of being "disingenuous", saying their actions caused "substantive injustice".
Former Executive member, Phil Jordan, who has an indepth knowledge of the situation on Undercliff Drive, explains why the Leader's claims of reopening the road are extremely premature.