Slippery slope

Nervous residents of the Undercliff may be wondering where the promised report on the future of the road has got to. According to Hunter-Henderson's Environment Department last June, consultants were to be appointed in September 2008, with a report on "the options" appearing in January 2009.

Following enquiries by David Knowles at the last Council meeting it now appears that there has been some delay in the appointment due to the usual lack of capacity/inertia, and it is now claimed that the consultants will start work in May 2009 and report in September 2009 (coincidentally, beyond the next election). The terms of reference will be to look at "all the options", and the main selection criterion will presumably be a PhD in stating the bleedin' obvious. Fees are unknown, but £130,000 has been set aside as a starter, and for this we will learn that:

1. Since Pugh and Co told the Government to take their £13m funding and sod off, there has ceased to be an affordable way of keeping the road open in the medium to long term.
2. In due course the road will split at up to five known weak points, providing a haven for wildlife and ramblers, but at some inconvenience to local residents.
3. The only viable solution is some large yellow and black signs at each end saying "Diversion via Whitwell".
4. The potential tourism opportunities and attractions of Kemming Road need to be heavily promoted to fill the gap.

My advice, given the current lead times for procuring anything more complex than a toilet roll, is to start work on the signs now, so that when the time comes they can be deployed quickly without any more procurement or consulting delays.

Meanwhile we can take comfort from assurances that the Council is "continuing regular monitoring of ground movement", and will "maintain the road as it currently is, to ensure that it stays open for as long as possible".