Road of Remembrance, Folkestone

In the early hours of 27 January 2024, we were notified about fallen trees blocking the Road of Remembrance. Upon arrival, Highways officers discovered that the fallen trees were caused by a large landslip. The tree removal process had to be stopped for further investigations. Further landslips have since taken place, slowing our rate of progress. We have closed the road to protect the public from future landslips.

What we've done so far

A lot of technical and complex work has been done on site.

• Crews have been on the Road of Remembrance and The Bayle doing pre-works to help ground investigations.
• Drone and topographical surveys were conducted. Tree surgeons cleared trees and vegetation to show the extent of the landslip on the western embankment.
• Civil contractors dug and installed launch pits for borehole sampling and cone penetration testing.

We recently finished a 3-week ground investigation program and other testing with our specialist contractor. This included:

• preliminary ecological assessment
• geospatial mapping survey of the WWII bunker and cellar within a residential property on the Road of Remembrance
• ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys
• inspection of the failed embankment face by specialist engineering teams
• multi-analysis surface waves and electronic resistivity tomography surveys of the embankment face
• unexploded ordnance survey (UXO)
• 25m deep cable percussive boreholes and cone penetration testing.

What we're doing next

The design team is currently gathering all the data from the investigation work. This information will help the team to design a solution for the embankment.

While the design work is ongoing, we will keep monitoring the ecology surveys. This will involve regular site visits to track badger activity within the embankment. Archaeology teams will also be on standby as needed due to the historic discoveries in the area, such as Anglo-Saxon remains.

We are also in constant communication with the landowners at the top of the embankment to ensure necessary access for current and future work. We thank them for their continuous support.

Road closure and diversion route

The road closure has been extended until the end of August 2025. This is simply an administrative process, as part of the formal road closure. It is not an indication of when the road will reopen. We apologise for the inconvenience to the residents and businesses of Folkestone, but our priority is public safety, which we take very seriously.

Signed diversion routes are in place.

View the diversion route on our roadworks map.

Pedestrians should use the High Street as a diversion in both directions.

Last updated: 23 October 2024

Folkestone events

We are aware that events taking place over the coming months will be affected by this closure. We advise event organisers to get in touch with Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) via Apply4. We are working closely with event organisers and FHDC to support with route changes.

We cannot provide any further updates on how long we will close the road for, or how we will remedy the situation. If you have any concerns about the effect on your property or business, contact your insurer.

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