A coastal road on the Isle of Wight could be 'washed into the sea' in as little as two years due to severe erosion, a senior council official has warned. The Military Road, which runs between Chale and Freshwater, has been affected by crumbling cliffs, forcing vehicles to drive just metres from a sheer drop in some places.
Colin Rowland, the Isle of Wight Council's director of community services, told a corporate scrutiny committee meeting that the road could be lost 'anything between two and 10 years'. He attributed the problem to erosion from the sea and the formation of chines—deep narrow ravines.
Council leader Phil Jordan identified the stretch between Brook and Compton Farm as the most immediate concern, while the Afton Down area, where voids have appeared, is considered relatively stable. Options to address the issue include rerouting the road inland, which could secure it for 20 years or more but would cost over £20 million, or upgrading existing inland roads to handle diverted traffic.
The council has been in discussions with the National Trust, which owns most of the land, about rerouting, and has approached government departments for funding. A previous plan to build a 26-metre-long wall to temporarily stabilise the road was rejected in October.
