“I was on call the night it happened. It was one in the morning. We just thought a few trees had come down.

“It was only as the sun started to rise we realised how much of the cliff had come away.”

That was James Bowen's experience a year ago when the first landslide occurred at the Road of Remembrance in Folkestone.

This week, we joined James and fellow Kent County Council engineers to discuss the progress they have made in stabilising the cliff along the key route.

Also in attendance was KCC’s transport chief, Cllr Neil Baker, who admits the road may not reopen until the summer of 2026.

He also dismissed suggestions the council will only bring it back into use as a footpath.

A figure has not yet been put on the final costs of the huge project - but Cllr Baker says more funding is required.

“This is not something we’ve got a long-term budget for,” he told KentOnline.

“Emergencies do happen but it’s a case of sitting around the table and not only finding the money but making sure nothing else is missing out.

“Some people have been thinking could we reopen it as a footpath, but that’s not our aim. We want to reopen it fully as it previously was.”

Using data from previous site investigations, a scheme has been devised to use a mesh paired with steel pins that will be driven eight metres into the cliff to stabilise it. This will be fitted with an anti-erosion matting to prevent any further decay.

The technical designs still have final checks to pass - then the extra council cash will be required.

Cllr Baker says once signed off, the work will take about six months, which KCC would hope to have done this summer, depending on the weather.

He said: “If we can thrash out the final details, there may be a window for this year’s summer. If not, you’ll be looking at the summer next year.”

The engineers on site this week said they would normally have years of preparation for such a large and complex project - but in this case they have had to reactive.

Before any work could take place, several surveys were undertaken to paint a picture of the cliff's current stability.

One test used a borehole from the gardens above the Road of Remembrance, pushing a tube 25 metres into the ground to extract soil for lab testing.

A standpipe was also added in this test to monitor the levels of natural water, meaning an element of drainage had to be added to the design to prevent this from building up.

The works have revealed the landslips were a natural event.

The ground - known as the Folkestone Formation - is a combination of medium-to-coarse-grained sand and weakly cemented sandstones, prone to erosion and unstable.

This, along with the heavy rainfall from Storms Isha and Ciaran, plus the weight of trees during the high winds, contributed to weakening the cliff's stability.

Folkestone suffered at least eight landslips during 2024, with the popular coastal park and several paths cordoned off.

Due to the risk of Second World War bombs, an unexploded ordnance survey was also required.

Engineer manager Byron Lovell said: “We’ve had challenges with archaeology, protected species, a world war bunker, private residences and legal issues.

“There’s been a load of things that have come up and surprised up.”

Project manager Billy Dunbar added: “Everything we’re doing here has to be done by a rope access team, which has to be supervised.

“With the ground investigations in private gardens, we had to find machinery small enough to access them, which isn’t readily available.”

Striking drone pictures taken after the landslides exposed how some people’s houses were left right on the cliff edge.

But one homeowner, 80-year-old Marian Walters, previously insisted she still felt safe living there.

"I am very happy here and I won't be moving for anyone. I have been made to feel safe,” she told KentOnline last year.

"The way Kent County Council has dealt with the situation has been incredible - they have been so helpful.”

Recently a campaign was started to turn a set of Victorian gents toilets, unearthed during vegetation-clearing works, into a First World War Memorial to recognise the soldiers who walked down the Road of Remembrance to the harbour before setting off for the Western Front.

Cllr Neil Baker added: “We've been clear from day one that this isn't just any other road.

“It holds a special place in the hearts of the people of the town and their shared history, and we will reflect that, as we have done throughout.

“It isn't just a road. It's an important piece of the local culture.”