Andrew Turner, the Island’s MP, has welcomed last night’s decision by the Isle of Wight Council to consult on the future of the Military Road before a final decision is taken. He hopes that the consultation process will identify issues that may be used to help attract funding that could be used to help save the road.
Mr Turner said:
“I have had a number of very useful briefings from Cllrs Edward Giles and Peter Bingham, who with their respective responsibilities for roads and resources have outlined the various problems. Of course one of them is money, but there are a number of other complex issues involved, and if funding is eventually identified there may be a special parliamentary procedure required, as much of the surrounding land is owned by public bodies and is subject to legal protection. Ironically, the beautiful surroundings, which make the road so special, will make it harder to save.
“Under the control of the Liberal Democrats the Council spent over £3 million of taxpayers’ money 7 years ago on works that were supposed to last for 50 years. They are already beginning to fail – that cannot happen again and it means that any proposals put forward will be looked at especially carefully.
“We all want to keep the Military Road, but we have to look seriously at the financial implications. It is estimated that any works would cost in excess of £10m including legal and other costs - that is over £160 for every Island household. If the Military Road is to be saved we need to identify other sources of funding. I hope that the consultation process will assist in that.”

Mr Turner has already been working with Members of the European Parliament to try to identify possible funding sources which could be used to keep the road open. The impending General Election will interrupt these and other attempts to source funding due to ‘purdah’, the period before an election when public bodies are required to suspend activities that could call into question their political impartiality.

END Contact : Andrew Turner’s office 01983 530808