By Mal Butler
Residents and businesses in Ventnor breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday when Leeson Road finally reopened after seven months of closure.
The key route between Shanklin and the town has remained closed since a catastrophic landslip last December when 16 hectares – around 14 million cubic metres of land – was displaced in what was one of the largest landslides recorded on the South Coast of England.
The road will operate under traffic light control with one lane open and regular safety checks in place. However, it is due to be closed again from September 9 to allow the drilling of three 85-metre boreholes to allow Island Roads to understand the nature of the underlying geology in the area and additional monitoring equipment to be installed deep underground.
Open for Carnival Week
The reopening couldn’t come soon enough for Ventnor Carnival chairman, Teresa Preston, who said: “This is brilliant news, it will be open for the Carnival Week and Ventnor Day and it’s a huge boost for the town during the summer, it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Deputy Mayor, Steph Toogood, added: “This is a happy day! We feel absolutely delighted and want to thank all the people who have worked diligently with the authorities to persuade them it’s crucial to the town for the holiday season.
“Footfall has fallen while it has been closed. This will make all the difference to our businesses. When our businesses are thriving, the town is thriving. We know we are not out of the woods yet, but we are just grateful to be open for the peak season.”
New IW East MP, Joe Robertson welcomed the news. He said: “This should have happened several months ago but I nevertheless want to thank the Council and Island Roads for listening to the voices of residents and opening the road in time for the summer holidays.
Together with local councillors Ed Blake and Rodney Downer I have been campaigning to get Leeson Road reopened since the beginning of the year. Reopening Leeson Road in time for the summer holidays would never have been achieved without the whole community pulling together and other key local people such as David Groocock who stood as an election candidate to raise awareness for Ventnor’s roads.”
Monitoring for risk
Ed Blake, local councillor and member of the Keep Ventnor Moving Group, said: “We have made it clear that there are suitable options available to monitor the road without causing significant costs to the taxpayer. The greater risk on the remaining roads into Ventnor far exceeded the risk of reopening the road. This was shown most clearly a couple of weeks ago when a road accident on the Whitwell Road entirely shut Ventnor and St Lawrence off. I just hope the road reopening now is enough to save businesses from more hardship or worse this winter.”
Businesses relieved
Businesses also reacted positively. Debbie Honeybourne of Magpie and Blu, Pier Street, said: “The local community has been amazing and continued to support us by shopping locally. The council has helped us with free parking on a Saturday, but the through traffic had stopped because there was no footfall and business have had a hard time. But this is a new beginning and we’re all looking forward to the summer season.”
Rosie Gibbs, owner of the Met on the Esplanade, said: “It’s made such a difference in a day! I know the weather was good on Wednesday, but we were packed.
“Our takings in June and July have probably been halved, so we have not been under any pressure, normally we’re all tired by now.
“The seafront as a whole has suffered, so we really hope the next few weeks we are going to be busy to make up for what we have lost.”
Southern Vectis Route 3 will now operate via Leeson Road as a diversion, following the same route as before the road closure.
Customers from Wroxall/Upper Ventnor will need to revert to catching the bus from the Ventnor-bound stops if travelling to Ventnor, Shanklin, Sandown, Brading, Ryde. Only those wishing to travel towards Godshill and Newport should use the Newport-bound stops.
Isle of Wight Observer