Plan for £100,000 fix to end 70-mile landslip diversion

People are being forced to make a 70-mile round trip following the closure of one of Wales' highest roads due to a landslip.

Monmouthshire council is looking to pay £100,000 for a section of land to provide a route around the affected area at Gospel Pass, near Hay-on-Wye.

The diversion between the villages of Llanthony and Capel Y Ffin has been causing disruption for about 50 homes and businesses, said a council report, adding about a 90-minute round trip to Abergavenny.

It was also affecting visitors' access to the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons and concern about emergency service response times since the landslip in January.

According to the RAC, Gospel Pass is renowned as the highest road pass in Wales, at about 549m (1,801ft).

"The residents of Llanthony and Capel Y Ffin are reliant on access to Abergavenny for work, medical care, shopping, post deliveries etc and access for those basic services results in an additional 70-mile diversion," said the council report.

Emergency services have had to reroute vehicles and identified potential delays due to the extended alternative route, it said.

The council has reached an agreement in principle on the land sale with the landowner while the deal is still subject to legal due diligence.

It said it had reviewed other engineering options to repair the road but had ruled them out.

Storm surge from the fields above the road and the river below combined to cause the landslip.

Monmouthshire council's cabinet is being asked to approve the acquisition of the land on the Llanthony Valley Road at Neuadd Straight during its committee meeting on Monday.

Officials have agreed that, due to the urgency of the situation, that decision can be taken without the usual "call in" process by which backbench councillors can ask for a review and put any decision on hold.

The situation will also be discussed at April's meeting of the full council, according to the Local Democracy Report Service.