Openreach to start cable diversion ahead of Shaldon retaining wall rebuild

Devon County Council has announced that Openreach will start diverting its cables on 9 November at the collapsed retaining wall between Torquay Road and Ringmore Road in Shaldon, one of several pieces of advance work before the wall is rebuilt.

The wall collapsed in February 2024. The council said a number of utility services must be moved or diverted before reconstruction can begin, and the Openreach work is expected to take about two weeks.

During that period the existing temporary traffic lights will be changed to three-way lights to give enough space for the work to be carried out safely, the council said. Parking will be temporarily suspended on Ringmore Road to reduce queuing, and the traffic management plan restricts turning between Ringmore Road and Torquay Road.

Councillor Dan Thomas, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: "We appreciate how frustrating the temporary traffic lights have been for people in Shaldon. These utility works will cause some additional disruption, but they are an important step towards rebuilding the wall."

Further works

The Openreach diversion is one of several pieces of advance work, according to the council. A National Grid cable also needs to be diverted, and highway drainage damaged during previous utility works needs repairing. The council said dates for these further works are likely to be in the New Year.

The council said its aim is for the repair work to the wall to start once the advance works are completed. The announcement gives no date for the start of the rebuild itself.

Councillor Heather Horner, local member for Ipplepen & The Kerswells, said: "I know people in Shaldon are keen to see the wall rebuilt and the temporary lights removed. I'm pleased that these advance works are getting underway and that progress is being made towards the permanent repair."

Costs so far

The council's own Freedom of Information (FOI) responses set out the scale of the scheme and the running costs at the site.

In a response to a request for cumulative costs to 14 September 2026, including traffic management, inspections, monitoring, maintenance, staffing and design proposals, the council said the main rebuild costs were unconfirmed because the design had not yet been completed, but gave a current high-level estimate of £230,000.

In that response the council put traffic management cost to date at £10,583.04, and listed the following Engineering Design Group's fees to date by financial year.

Financial year	Engineering Design Group's fees to date
2025/26	£14,180.94
2026/27 (to 6 September 2026)	£31,843.39

A separate FOI response put the ongoing cost of the temporary traffic lights at £466.13 a week, invoiced weekly. The council said traffic management at the site was maintained through its Highway Term Maintenance Contract.

In that response the council said it did not hold a timeline for the repair and that it wished to start ground investigations to allow the design to progress. It declined to release correspondence on why the wall had not been repaired, citing legal privilege.

Background

Devon County Council says it has more than 3,500 bridges, which it inspects regularly. Retaining walls within the highway boundary are maintained by the council, while responsibility for property retaining walls generally lies with the owner who derives benefit from the support, according to the council's guidance.

The Openreach works are expected to take about two weeks from 9 November, with the National Grid diversion and drainage repairs likely in the New Year.