MORE than three years after a New Year’s Eve landslip forced a retired couple to evacuate their home, work has been scheduled to repair the damaged embankment in Horsley.
On December 31 2013, a massive landslip engulfed Phil and Gill Lee’s garden after the B4058 tumbled towards the back of the property in Wormwood Hill.
Heavy rainfall during the winter caused part of the road to collapse, sending hundreds of tons of earth, railings and asphalt sliding down the hill towards their house below.
Highways crews carried out emergency work at the time to stabilise the B4058 between Nailsworth and Horsley and the road was reopened three months later.
As a ‘short term solution’, temporary traffic lights were installed to help manage traffic flow, with access to the lane closest to the slip restricted.
Now, just over three years later, Gloucestershire County Council has announced more than half a million pounds has been made available to fix the landslip damaged road.
Spades are due to hit the ground in early summer 2017 and work has already started on the new potential design for the road.
Dorcas Binns, county councillor for Nailsworth and cabinet member for older people, thanked the community for their patience.
“This is fantastic news for the local community and thank you to everyone for their patience,” she said.
“It’s important that local people tell us what they think about the design so please have your say through the consultation in the New Year.”
The next stages include a competitive tendering process to select a contractor.
Experts are currently developing a ‘pinned retaining structure’. This will mean the road will return to two way traffic flows.
There will be a share event next year to show all interested people on the proposed solution, how it will work and how it will be built.
Temporary traffic lights remain in place until the work has been completed.
Cllr Vernon Smith, cabinet member for highways, said: “The Horsely landslip has always been on our agenda so I’m really pleased that now we have the funding and the work can begin.
“The ‘pinned retaining structure’ would work for the area, but it’s still important that we hear the thoughts of local residents and people who use the road frequently.”
(l-r) Andrew Middlecote, local highways manager at GCC and Dorcas Binns, county councillor for Nailsworth
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