Belgrave Road reopening moves closer as on-site work set to begin

Island Roads and the Isle of Wight Council have announced more details of the forthcoming work to re-open Belgrave Road in Ventnor.

Having completed much of the necessary design and investigation work, residents can expect to see more on-site activity early next month once the required technical approval and final design work have been completed.

Once consent is secured, the first stage of the project work — erection of temporary netting and scaffold system to prevent any disturbed materials cascading down the slope — will begin.

The next phase will include installation of a high-tension steel netting system to prevent further debris falling onto the road from the remaining rockface.

This system is similar to that already successfully used at nearby Gills Cliff Road. At the same time, the smaller rocks will be removed from site by hand.

When these rocks are cleared, attention will turn to the remaining larger rocks which will be broken up by chemical demolition.

Chemical demolition was successfully used in the original award-winning Belgrave Road and is a process favoured in confined sites as it reduces the need for large heavy plant.

The chemical demolition process will involve drilling holes into the larger rocks. A chemical solution is then poured into the drillholes. This solution then expands breaking up the larger rocks into more manageable pieces.

With these rocks removed it should be possible to re-open the road to pedestrians, hopefully by early November.

Work will then focus on repairing the parapet and railings that were damaged in the original rockfall. The road itself will also require resurfacing.

It is hoped this work can be completed in around three weeks, after which the road can be re-opened while the remaining repairs to the site are completed on the steps area and Esplanade Road.

Island Roads will be joined in delivering the project by local contractors Stoneham Construction, Corefix and MG Solutions – all of whom were involved in the original rebuild of Belgrave Road.

An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said: “Naturally we are aware of the strong local feelings about this site and we can assure residents we have been working hard behind the scenes to reach this point.

"We would also like to sincerely thank the Ventnor community for their incredible patience and resilience throughout this prolonged disruption — your understanding has been truly appreciated.

“We have already undertaken the required survey and design work and we will be ready to mobilise very quickly as soon as the technical approval is received.

“We are looking forward to the clearance work beginning soon and we will endeavour to complete the work and restore access as soon as we possibly can.

"Residents however must understand that this is a challenging site and project and while we have given the current timescale in good faith, it is subject to change. We will, of course keep residents updated throughout work.”