Seawall and footway repaired
Published: 19 August 2022
The February storm caused significant damage to the sea wall supporting Queens Road by undermining the wall and creating a void that collapsed the footway above.
Island Roads secured the area and made safe the electrical apparatus and barriered off the area, leading to the temporary suspension of parking.
In the short term the coastal management team have overseen an emergency repair of the collapsed area with the work carried out by the Sandown based contractor J A Dempsey which was completed on Friday 12 August.
In the medium to long term, the coastal management team are liaising with structural engineering experts from Coastal Partners and the Environment Agency to survey the condition of the whole structure and beach levels.
This will help the council to understand the full extent of the condition of the Queens Road coastal assets and develop a plan of action into the future.
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet member for climate change and environment said: “The increasing number of extreme weather events we are experiencing as a result of the impact of our changing climate highlight those areas where the Island is vulnerable.
"In the past weeks the very dry conditions meant that we have been very concerned about the risk of fire in the countryside. But only a few months ago a record-breaking storm caused significant damage across the Isle of Wight and the immediate repair and the need for long term solution required in Queens Road is an example of the challenges we face as a community.”
Councillor Phil Jordon, Cabinet member for infrastructure and highways, added: “We are pleased to be able to bring this stretch of footway back into use, but we cannot underestimate the huge demands placed on our infrastructure by both storms and hot weather.
"In terms of this part of the sea front in Cowes it means working with our partners to assess the condition of the wall and surrounding area to look at how we can manage the situation in the future.”
Island Roads secured the area and made safe the electrical apparatus and barriered off the area, leading to the temporary suspension of parking.
In the short term the coastal management team have overseen an emergency repair of the collapsed area with the work carried out by the Sandown based contractor J A Dempsey which was completed on Friday 12 August.
In the medium to long term, the coastal management team are liaising with structural engineering experts from Coastal Partners and the Environment Agency to survey the condition of the whole structure and beach levels.
This will help the council to understand the full extent of the condition of the Queens Road coastal assets and develop a plan of action into the future.
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet member for climate change and environment said: “The increasing number of extreme weather events we are experiencing as a result of the impact of our changing climate highlight those areas where the Island is vulnerable.
"In the past weeks the very dry conditions meant that we have been very concerned about the risk of fire in the countryside. But only a few months ago a record-breaking storm caused significant damage across the Isle of Wight and the immediate repair and the need for long term solution required in Queens Road is an example of the challenges we face as a community.”
Councillor Phil Jordon, Cabinet member for infrastructure and highways, added: “We are pleased to be able to bring this stretch of footway back into use, but we cannot underestimate the huge demands placed on our infrastructure by both storms and hot weather.
"In terms of this part of the sea front in Cowes it means working with our partners to assess the condition of the wall and surrounding area to look at how we can manage the situation in the future.”
