Appeals dismissed in Pulborough A29 landslip dispute

The A29, Church Hill, in Pulborough, has been only partly accessible to traffic following a landslide in late December 2022.

The embankments at the side of the road are privately owned and this has complicated repair efforts for West Sussex County Council (WSCC), as it is unable to undertake repair works without the owners' approval.

The council served the landowners with statutory notices requiring them to undertake certain tree works in February 2024, which were subsequently appealed.

However, at a recent hearing on January 7 and 8, the appeals were dismissed.

WSCC now hopes to engage with the landowners to secure completion of the relevant tree works in a timely manner.

It previously said it was pursuing legal action to resolve the dispute in December 2025, and blamed delays in the magistrates courts system for the lengthy process.

The works are required to remove dead, dying and insecurely rooted trees, which could pose a danger to passing vehicles or pedestrians. 

The instability of the embankments means the road has been only partly accessible to traffic, since the council reopened it in April 2023.

A one-way traffic system has been in operation ever since. 

Geo-technical experts have determined that fully reopening the road in the current conditions could prove dangerous.