Frustration three years after landslip shuts road

Residents and businesses remain frustrated at the continued closure of a main road, nearly three years after it was shut due to a landslip.

A section of the A226 Galley Hill Road in Swanscombe, Kent, remains inaccessible after a partial collapse in April 2023 caused by a burst water main.

Michael Cheel, of nearby motorcycle dealership MBC Despatch Racing, estimated he had lost trade worth "probably about £50,000 or £60,000" since.

Kent County Council (KCC) said work to assess options for the road continued and it was working with the community to "mitigate the impact of the closure on traffic".

Cheel told the BBC that customers would previously come through Swanscombe, "see a motorbike shop... and they come in".

But now the only main road is the A2, he added.

Swanscombe and Greenhithe town mayor Dawn Johnston said residents were stuck "with noise outside and frustration".

She told the BBC: "You can accept it for a short period of time but I think you'll agree three years is just too long, with no end in sight."

Traffic has been diverted down Swanscombe's High Street since the closure, while bus routes have changed to avoid the road.

Repairs could cost as much as £50m and possible options include constructing a bridge or reinforcing the chalk that the road was originally built on.

Dartford MP Jim Dickson said he thought the council "will have a very good chance" of receiving funds if it applied to a government transport infrastructure fund when applications opened.

"Frankly, it will not be before time because Swanscombe residents are having to live with chaos, and that's completely unacceptable," he said.

A spokesperson from KCC said: "Engineers are currently developing detailed designs for either a new bridge or a reinforced earth retaining wall to restore access as soon as it is safe to do so.

"Legal discussions to determine the cause of the landslip remain ongoing."

The council said a redesign of Stanhope Road - part of the diversion route - was under way to "make it safer and reduce traffic congestion".

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