WORKS to fully re-open a busy Forest road have been given the green light by senior Gloucestershire councillors.

A landslip on the B4234 New Road between Lydney and Whitecroft left the road unstable and it was partially closed after an inspection in November 2023.

Gloucestershire County Council’s Cabinet agreed at it meeting to appoint a contractor to carry out the repairs.

It is expected that the road will re-open in October next year with the work starting in January.

The road currently has one lane open with temporary traffic lights controlling a 54-yard section.

Inspections found several defects, including carriageway cracking, slope instability, failure of a retaining wall, and drainage blockages.

The preferred solution is a sheet-piled retaining wall to stabilise the slope to ensure long-term structural integrity and road safety.

The cost of the repair works is estimated at around £1.2 million

The total project is estimated to cost £2.35m, which includes the emergency works following the landslip, the investigation and the project’s design.

Highways maintenance cabinet member Joe Harris (Lib Dem, Cirencester Park) presented the report at today’s (September 17) meeting which is “about fixing a serious problem”.

He said part of the hillside has slipped and the road has become unstable.

“We’ve already had to put temporary traffic lights in place which have been there for a considerable length of time,” he said.

“The plan is to build a strong retaining wall to stabilise the slope and make the roads safe for the long term.

“To do this, we need the cabinet’s agreement today to go out to tender, appoint a contractor, and put in place any temporary traffic orders while the work is carried out.

“And the work will cost around £1.2 million, and I’m pleased to say we’ve secured funding from the Department for Transport, so the work won’t cost this council anything.

“Construction should start in January, take about eight months.

“Lydney was the very first place that I visited in the county when I took on the cabinet role, and I know from meeting local people there how important it is to residents and businesses that we get this solved.

“There’s also a significant investment in the Forest of Dean by this Liberal Democrat administration.

The Cabinet also agreed a new policy to speed up road repairs by cutting red tape.

Cllr Harris said: “At the moment, every big project has to go through a slow and costly bidding process before contractors can even get on site.

“That's time wasted, and of course, it's money wasted, and it means that residents have to wait longer to see the improvements.

By lining up trusted contractors in advance, people with a proven record of good quality work, fair value, and of course, a positive impact in our local communities, we will be ready to move as soon as funding for schemes is secured.

“This is about cutting red tape. It's about reducing costs, and it's about speeding up delivery.”