Why are the landslips happening?
There appears to be no single cause for the landslips.
Landslips have occurred in the past, particularly along The Leas, and shallow depth landslips happen quite often.
The number taking place during February and March may be the result of a combination of several reasons:
- Rainfall during February was very high
- The ground - known as the Folkestone Formation - is a combination of medium to coarse grained sand with weakly cemented sandstones. This makes it prone to erosion and being unstable
- The weight of trees during high winds may be weakening the stability of the cliff
What the council is doing to prevent future landslips
A LIDAR survey for land from the harbour and along the Road of Remembrance was commissioned - it is a survey that involves using a drone equipped with data collection technology, enabling a detailed map of the ground conditions to be created.
It has now been completed and the data will be considered alongside information being gathered from the ground by the geotechnical consultants who are completing a walkover survey.
If areas are identified as at high risk of land slippage, trees may then need to be reduced in height to maintain the stability of the cliff.
Vegetation has been cleared and tree height reduced on land owned by the council at the top of the Road of Remembrance. All of the litter on the area of land in council ownership has also been cleared.
This followed a landslip at the end of January which brought trees down and forced the road to be closed.
Kent County Council, as the highway authority, is continuing to work in this area to enable the road to be reopened.
Fallen trees and other debris began to be cleared by KCC on Tuesday 16 April - damage caused to the bank will then be assessed and there may be a need for further surveys to establish what might need to be done to reduce the risk of future slippage.
Recent large landslips
9 March – vegetation collapse at area in The Riviera, Sandgate on private land.
3 March – multiple behind Sunny Sands beach, bringing a tree down onto the promenade.
2 March – area below Madeira Walk, above the coastal park.
26 February – bottom of the Road of Remembrance, vegetation and debris brought down behind businesses.
27 January – Road of Remembrance. Trees blocked road. Two further smaller slips during February.
November 2023 – Cow Path at the coastal park.