Transport chiefs say they are close to finalising repair plans for a key route through a town centre which has been shut for 18 months after repeated landslides.
The first incident at the Road of Remembrance in Folkestone occurred in January 2024, sending trees and soil flying across the carriageway – and it could still be shut up to two years later.
Protected species, the subsequent discovery of Anglo-Saxon remains, the protection of a wartime bunker and further landslips have all contributed to a “complex and unplanned” situation, says Kent County Council.
The stretch on the hill linking The Leas with the harbour has now been shut to pedestrians and traffic for more than a year.
But in an update on its website, KCC, which is the county’s highways authority, said a plan for the work has now been received that it is “mostly happy with”.
This will involve using reinforced soil nails that are designed to support unstable natural slopes.
The design, it adds, has a lifespan of 120 years, so residents can be “certain of the safety of the road” for years to come, says the council.
However, an exact time frame for the project’s completion still remains unclear.
In February, it was suggested the work could take about six months to complete, with a possible window maybe available this summer.
While meeting papers released ahead of a meeting of Folkestone and Hythe District Council last week suggested the road might be open by the end of the year.
But, according to its website, Kent Highways says it has now extended the closure until February 1, 2026, as it works to finalise the finer details of the project.
The message reads: “This is simply an administrative process, as part of the formal road closure. It is not an indication of when the road will reopen.
“This has been an unplanned, complex situation, and has been met with a variety of unexpected challenges.
“We are having to deal with all problems on a reactive basis, and are working as quickly as possible to stabilise the embankment.
“Technical approvals and costings are underway in anticipation of securing a specialist contractor to undertake the remedial work.
“As such, it is not yet possible to commit to a start date for the stabilisation work or to confirm when the road will reopen.”
The ground – known as the Folkestone Formation – is a combination of medium-to-coarse-grained sand and weakly cemented sandstones, prone to erosion, which causes it to become unstable.
This, along with the heavy rainfall from previous Storms Isha and Ciaran, plus the weight of trees during high winds, all are thought to have contributed to further weakening the cliff’s stability.
Folkestone suffered at least eight landslips during 2024, with the popular coastal park and several paths cordoned off.
KCC cabinet member for highways and transport, Peter Osborne (Ref), said: “We will be in a position to clarify the way forward for the Road of Remembrance soon.
“However, due to the complexity of the project, there are elements that still need to be worked on in the background before we are able to announce more details.”
