Whitby road at risk as plans lodged to halt embankment failure

Plans to stop a crumbling embankment from giving way beneath a road near Whitby have been submitted amid fears that ongoing ground movement could threaten the highway.

Mulgrave Estate has applied to carry out emergency stabilisation works along a 40-metre stretch of Sandsend Valley Road, where an embankment beside Sandsend Beck is continuing to fail.

Proposed gabion fill material for Sandsend Beck road repairs. Image courtesy of applicant.

placeholder image — Proposed gabion fill material for Sandsend Beck road repairs. Image courtesy of applicant.

The works are needed because of “ongoing and progressive failure” of the roadside embankment, according to plans.

The deterioration is said to pose a risk to the road, pedestrians, and neighbouring land.

Sandsend Beck road repair works proposed plan. Image courtesy of applicant.

Cracks have already appeared in the road surface while the embankment contains a mixture of ageing masonry and concrete retaining structures, according to plans.

The affected area sits alongside Sandsend Beck at the bottom of the slope and the site is constrained by steep banks, limited road space and regular pedestrian use.

The proposed retaining structure would be constructed using gabion baskets, wire cages filled with natural stone, reaching up to three metres in height and extending for about 40 metres along the roadside.

Mulgrave Estate said the design has been chosen to blend in with existing stone structures in the valley and avoid the visual impact of a large concrete wall.

Sandsend Beck, Lythe Bank, near Whitby. Image credit: Google Maps.

“Gabions are a well-established rural engineering solution and allow for a more informal and textured appearance compared with solid concrete structures,” plans state.

The site lies within the Sandsend conservation area and construction would take place in sections of no more than five metres at a time to reduce the risk of further instability during the works.

Access would be taken from Sandsend Valley Road, with a temporary construction compound created in an existing parking area.

Planning documents state pedestrian access would be maintained throughout the project and emergency vehicle access would remain available at all times.

Only the minimum amount of vegetation needed to complete the work safely would be removed, with disturbed areas reinstated once construction has finished.

North Yorkshire Council has not set a date for deciding on the plans which are open to representations from members of the public.