Three-year fight over crisis-hit West Sussex road: 'We'll sort it' says council

The A29 at Church Hill in Pulborough was shut by West Sussex County Council in December 2022 following a landslide which led to chaos in the village with traffic snarl-ups, safety fears and a loss of trade for local businesses.

The embankment-lined road remained closed for months before reopening to single-lane traffic, controlled by traffic lights, in April 2023. The road has remained single-lane since that time – much to the annoyance of local residents.

Now, as the situation hits its third anniversary, the county council promises it will sort it out. It says it ‘remains committed to resolving the ongoing situation.’ A new court hearing over the matter is scheduled to take place in January.

The council says in a statement: “We will continue to work towards reaching a resolution which will be to the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors across Pulborough.

“The landslide occurred on the steep embankments situated at the narrowest part of the A29. These embankments are in private ownership and the council does not have legal rights to enter or carry out work required on this private land without the permission of the owners.

“Shortly after the landslide, geo-technical experts assessed the embankments and advised that due to the established instability of the land on both sides, it is not safe to fully reopen the road to vehicles and pedestrians. We continue to regularly monitor the site to ensure it remains safe for the current use arrangements.

“Since the initial incident we have engaged in regular discussions with the landowners, however, when we were not able to reach an agreement with them as quickly as we had hoped, we installed traffic lights and concrete blocks to allow safe single-file traffic in April 2023.

“The private ownership of the embankments is still the main challenge the council faces when attempting to achieve a long-term solution. Legal options to address the lack of an agreed solution are limited and the statutory notices served on the landowners to allow work on the embankments have been appealed by them and referred to the magistrates’ court system which is suffering from lengthy delays.

“Whilst we have not made as much progress as we were hoping to have done this year, there is a prospect of some being made soon, with a court hearing having been set for January 2026.

“If this route to have the planned works approved through the courts does not provide the much-needed solution in a timely way, the county council will keep other legal routes under active consideration. However, we must allow the current court process to reach a conclusion before we begin an alternative route.

“In the meantime, the single lane signal-controlled arrangement is regularly reviewed to ensure it continues to provide a safe and workable temporary solution.

“We appreciate the ongoing delay in resolving the situation has caused frustration locally, and we will keep focused on exploring all options to reach a resolution, including engaging with the landowners if they are open to further discussion.”