Monmouthshire County Council is set to allocate a minimum of £100,000 to purchase a parcel of land marginally bigger than a standard football pitch, eliminating the need for locals to undertake a 70-mile detour.
Residents have been forced to travel 35 miles in each direction via Wales’ highest mountain pass, the Gospel Pass, since a landslip rendered the main route to Llanthony and Capel Y Ffin impassable at the close of January.
The catastrophe resulted from storm waters surging from fields above the roadway merging with the river below, causing ground movement that affected part of the actual road surface.
Councillors on the cabinet will consider green-lighting the purchase of land situated on Llanthony Valley Road at Neuadd Straight, enabling permanent access for households and enterprises in the area.
An urgent session has been scheduled for 4.30pm on Monday, March 30, with the chief executive and the chair of the council’s place scrutiny committee having already sanctioned the decision to bypass the standard referral mechanism that would normally permit backbench members to request reconsideration and suspend proceedings.
A document detailing the pressing nature of the situation will be submitted to the subsequent full council gathering.
The cabinet paper emphasises that acquiring the 1.5-acre strip, which will facilitate road realignment at the slip location, represents the only viable option available.
The document indicates that local households and commercial ventures have suffered considerable hardship from the closure, which has left the communities isolated save for the lengthy alternative requiring a 70-mile round trip and potentially extending travel time by up to 90 minutes.
The document records that access for over 50 residential and business properties was compromised, with the only access available over the Gospel Pass and a 35-mile diversion.
It continues that businesses are dependent on deliveries of animal feed for livestock and visitor access to the diverse range of tourism establishments, such as the Llanthony Priority, that operate throughout the valley and in the Black Mountains and Bannau Brycheiniog area.
The inhabitants of Llanthony and Capel Y Ffin depend on reaching Abergavenny for employment, healthcare, retail purposes, postal services and similar essential amenities, with this lengthy diversion adding 70 miles to such journeys.
Response teams have redirected vehicles but recognise potential setbacks arising from the extended substitute route, while the authority has faced elevated expenditure on waste collection, recycling schemes, winter preparations and highway upkeep.
The council, having tentatively agreed a price with the property owner, intends to acquire the site for £100,000, exclusive of surveyor and solicitor charges, with the transaction still contingent on completing legal checks.
The document observed that this value exceeds the market value of the land but reflects the opportunity available and therefore the land premium applied.
The authority has also examined every technical approach to highway restoration but dismissed these owing to feasibility concerns and expense, while deliverability and topographical constraints similarly ruled out enhancing existing paths and trails through the valley as a substitute solution.