Looe landslide repair ‘could cost owner £400,000’

Cornwall Council is taking legal action against a property owner over a repair bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds following a landslide in the town, a member of the local authority has said.

The main road into West Looe was partially blocked after a retaining wall collapsed last February, sending tonnes of rock and earth across the highway.

Emergency work to secure the slope has been completed and the A387 has fully reopened but it has been estimated the work has cost more than £400,000 – money the council is seeking to get back.

Cornwall Council said it could not comment “due to ongoing legal proceedings”. The BBC has attempted to contact the property owner.

A one-storey property sits above the A387 and has impressive views over the town but has been empty since the landslide.

West Looe Cornwall councillor Jim Candy said the authority had to step in, claiming the property owner had failed to deal with the collapsed retaining wall.

He said: “They [contractors] have done several hundred thousand pounds’ worth of work with teams working late into the night, abseiling up and down the cliff, installing pins up to eight metres long.

“The work had to take place for safety reasons, so Cornwall Council stepped in.

“It will be up to council officers and the legal department to make sure that Cornwall Council is reimbursed as much as it can be.”

Cornwall Council said: “We are unable to offer additional updates due to ongoing legal proceedings.”

However, it said in November 2024 that it “had to step in as the highways authority” and commissioned contractor Cormac “to undertake these essential works” in response to local concerns and under “emergency measures to make safe sections of the collapsed wall that posed a risk to the highway”.

There has been no comment from the owner of the property, despite repeated attempts by the BBC to contact them.

South East Cornwall MP Anna Gelderd said it was “right that the council step in”.

She said: “To ensure safe access in and out of the town and ensure the businesses keep open, particularly undergoing work so that it’s completed prior to the Christmas period, which I was really glad to see happen, was absolutely essential.”

She added: “But… the responsibility for land like this lands with the landowner, and we’ll have to see what happens in the legal process going forward.”

During the work, the A387 Polperro Road was closed and a long diversion route was put in place.

Many motorists chose to ignore the official route and took a short cut through a single-lane road.

Maxine Cairns lives on West Looe Hill and said: “It’s been dangerous and used as a race track at some points and gridlocked.

“Properties have been damaged; there’s a couple three-quarters of the way up the hill, he’s disabled, he’s been a prisoner in his own home, he’s not been able to leave the house on his mobility scooter.

“There are elderly residents up there that have been scared to leave their homes.

“There should have been speed management put in place and there wasn’t. Really big vehicles coming up and down and just not acceptable.”

In response, Cornwall Council said: “We recognise the local community’s concerns about road closures and the disruption they can cause; and this is not an action we have taken lightly.”

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