Conservative MP candidate, Joe Robertson, has called on the Council to do all it can to secure transport routes in and out of Ventnor following the recent Bonchurch landslip. Joe was taken behind the exclusion zone by resident Sean Puddick to see the size and scale of the earth movement on 10th December. Thought to be the worst slip for 30 years, significant Autumn rainfall has been blamed. Two properties, including Sean’s house, have been left poised on the edge of the precipice. Leeson Road has been closed with no plans to reopen until deep into the New Year. To compound matters, a collapsed sewer on Newport Road closed another route leaving Ventnor accessed by only one road route to Whitwell for several days.
Joe Robertson said, “Sean escorted me onto his property to see where his entire front garden fell away overnight. His home is literally feet from a new cliff edge. He will never be able to live in it again and is currently in the process of moving his belongings out. With the Undercliff closed for the last decade following a landslip in 2014, and the sewer collapse on Newport Road, Ventnor has been reduced from 4 access roads to just one, putting it in a vulnerable position. I am calling on the Council to secure all routes into the Town, not just with short term fixes, but permanent solutions to secure the future of Ventnor and the surrounding area. The idea of managed retreat or giving up to nature cannot be allowed to take hold when it comes to vital transport links.”
