HOMES AT RISK!
PAUL McLAUGHLIN
Residents living in Foxcote and Penhurst Close (below Little Ridge Ave) have been forced to abandon their homes as a major landslip threatens to push their properties into the stream known as Old Roar Gill.
The landslip began on Monday 12 February and has continued to take out one side of the bank at the top of the Gill, near the Old Roar waterfall. The first sign of a problem was when several residents in the area spotted big cracks on the path behind their homes after a sustained period of heavy rainfall. Two days later Dr Ralitsa Hiteva, a resident in Foxcote, was terrified to hear the cracking of trees and to see her garden fence hanging in mid-air as part of the bank of the Gill, including part of her path, collapsed and was washed away.
The events were reported to Hastings Borough Council (HBC) and East Sussex County Council (ESCC) amid frantic concern for property and risk to life, as the path connecting Old Roar Road with Ghyllside Avenue is a popular cut-through. HBC workmen arrived the following morning to close it.
The landslip continued, and by the Thursday afternoon (15 February) several metres of earth from the gardens behind 24 Foxcote and 7 Penhurst Close had collapsed into the Gill, with a steady stream of water running between the two properties accelerating the land slippage. The water was coming from a manhole and Southern Water were alerted to their possible responsibility.
Despite the call being given a Category 1 priority, water continued to pour from the manhole and by the weekend (17/18 February) up to 15 metres of land had collapsed into the Gill with an entire line of trees washed away.
In desperation, residents cleared their sheds and garden furniture as the land slippage drew ever nearer to their houses. They were in the meantime informed that their home insurance policies would not cover the damage and would only be activated if the main buildings were affected.
For them, worse was to come. An emergency response team from HBC reported that their preliminary geological survey had identified that the slippage had occurred from privately owned land above the Gill and as such “the council cannot act further in this matter.”
This opinion has been challenged by two local residents with expertise in structural and geotechnical engineering. They assessed that the slippage had started on the banks of the Old Roar Gill, on land owned by HBC. They identified a number of causes, including drainage issues from a backed-up or broken groundwater pipe; the general erosion of pipe infrastructure in the area, and the heavily vegetated Gill slope linked to ongoing poor management of the Gill.
ORDERED TO LEAVE
As the landslip continued to creep ever closer to the homes, HBC’s Housing Renewal team served residents in Foxcote and Penhurst Close with Emergency Prohibition Orders ordering them to leave their properties with immediate effect. The orders stated that, as the landslip had occurred on private land, the lifting of the order would be possible only after the residents themselves had carried out the remedial work needed to strengthen the stability of their homes.
By 24 February the landslip had extended to over 25 metres with more trees washed away and others left standing precariously, with HBC workmen unwilling to cut them down because, residents claimed, it would be too dangerous for them to do so.
After almost two weeks of dealing with what they considered to be unresponsive and distant units within HBC, ESCC and Southern Water, the residents felt totally abandoned. In desperation they contacted Sally-Ann Hart, MP for Hastings and Rye, calling on her to intervene on their behalf. However, the MP’s secretary informed them that there was nothing Mrs Hart could do to help and suggested they contact their local ward councillors for support.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT
Dr Hiteva’s family have been forced to leave their Foxcote home and they have no idea when, if ever, they will return. The emotional impact on the family is “impossible to convey”, she says. “We cannot imagine having to find a new home at such short notice”.
Her neighbour, Rebecca Fellows, a perioperative nurse, says she has been similarly affected by the traumatic event. She has been forced to take time off as she is in no fit state to work in such a demanding environment as an operating theatre. She says she feels abandoned by HBC, Southern Water and Mrs Hart. Were it not for her sister living locally she would be homeless.
Mark Clusker and his family have lived in their home for the last 13 years but have spent the last two weeks stoically clearing their possessions. With his insurance policy up for renewal in March he has no idea how he will be covered, given that his insurance company will only pay up if his house is damaged and not for any remedial works needed to the garden area along the Gill. He believes the lack of proactive action by HBC to minimise the landslip and to strengthen the banks of the Gill will mean that more properties are inevitably going to be affected and more people will live in fear every time it rains.
Dr Hiteva, who is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sussex specialising in infrastructure and energy governance, business models, innovation and low-carbon transition, believes the landslip is connected to changing weather patterns and she warns that there are likely to be many more such incidents in the future.
Indeed, there have already been several land slippages across Hastings and St Leonards in recent months. In November, properties between West Hill Road and the Marina were evacuated after part of the cliff collapsed and, as HIP was going to press, another landslide has occurred at Caves Road. Once again local residents have been instructed to leave their homes with no certainty as to when they will be allowed to return.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply