Hastings councillors have set a new date to decide whether to fund further investigations into a catastrophic landslide.
Last month, Hastings Borough Council held an ‘extraordinary meeting’ where councillors had been set to decide the authority’s next steps in its response to February’s landslide at the Old Roar Gill nature reserve.
Councillors were faced with three options: for the council to fund investigation works itself; to seek to jointly fund the works with residents affected by the landslide; or not to fund the works at all.
However, the meeting was adjourned after Hastings Independent councillor Paul Barnett raised concerns about members being asked to make a decision on “incomplete” information.
Cllr Barnett told councillors he had been informed of a report being prepared by officers, which focused on both Alexandra Park and the Old Roar Gill. In light of this, councillors agreed to adjourn the meeting until the information was available.
The meeting is now set to recommence next Wednesday (October 16).
At time of publication, the meeting’s agenda does not appear to include the new information, nor any reference to the adjournment.
Part of the meeting’s papers confidential and not available publicly. The council says this part of the agenda is confidential as it contains financial information. The LDRS understands this confidential information to include the costs associated with the investigation works.
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The decision councillors are being asked to make focuses on investigation works rather than works to directly repair the damage caused by February’s landslide.
The investigation works come from recommendations set out in a report from specialist consultants Diales — a firm appointed by the council’s insurers following the landslide. The report said the further investigation works would be needed before any remedial stabilisation works could take place.
These further investigation works are understood to be both costly and time-intensive. Just one element of these works, a groundwater monitoring regime, would take at least six months to complete, the report said.
At this stage, the specific costs for the investigation works have not been made public, due to reasons of commercial confidentiality. However, the public section of the report describes these costs as “high”.
The report also notes how the council’s insurer has indicated it will not accept further responsibility for the landslide unless legal liability is established.
