Isle of Wight Council introduce new system to speed up how road closures are dealt with

Members of Keep Ventnor Moving (KVM) met Isle of Wight Council officers on Monday evening (7th October 2025) to push for action on long-standing road closures across the South Wight.

Councillor Ed Blake joined local businessman Tom Fahey and resident Jim Milburn at the talks, which aimed to find practical ways forward after years of disruption.

New systems are being put in placeKVM reported that some long-awaited repairs are finally starting. Although it’s been closed for more than six months the fallen rocks on Belgrave Road have now been cleared (see above) – one week after work began.

Temporary works at The Graben are about to begin, and restoration of the wall on Southgrove Road will allow that road to reopen.

Council officers acknowledged that the delays have been unacceptable. They said new systems are being put in place to speed up how closures are dealt with in future.

Residents’ frustrationKVM stressed that businesses and residents have lived with closures for as long as three years. More than 150 people recently joined a protest march through Ventnor to highlight the scale of the disruption.

Campaigners pressed the Council to allow temporary barriers so that some roads can reopen while longer-term solutions or legal issues are resolved. Bath Road, shut for nearly two years, was described as the immediate test.

A spokesperson said,

“The success of this meeting will be measured by whether Bath Road reopens within the next three months. “If progress stalls, we will continue our protests and organise further events to demonstrate our intent.”

Looking further aheadThe Council invited public views on its Transport Plan, open until 24th November 2025. Both sides agreed the Island needs more ambitious planning for routes such as Leeson Road, The Graben, Undercliff Drive and Whitwell Road.

The spokesperson added,

“In the past two years, through the combined efforts of Keep Ventnor Moving, Save South Wight, and especially our local councillor Ed Blake, we’ve made real progress in persuading the Council that the Undercliff is worth saving. “We’re now looking forward to a dewatering scheme being developed for Government funding, full-time monitoring of known landslip areas, and a more proactive, coordinated approach to protecting Ventnor’s vital road links.”