A top councillor is set to ask an urgent question after it emerged "eyesore" hoardings in place for 11 years are being rented.

Medway Council has declined to say how much it has paid for the blue fencing along a crumbling retaining wall in Pier Road, Gillingham, saying the matter is "commercially sensitive".

Now Labour's Cllr Andy Stamp is preparing to quiz chiefs at this month's full council meeting.

The Gillingham North representative will say: "The large retaining wall has been structurally unsound for well over a decade and is in desperate need of repair.

"While Department for Transport funding has been secured so permanent repairs can finally be carried out next year, the 'temporary' blue hoardings have been in place since 2009.

"Residents and ward councillors have long complained the hoardings are not only an eyesore, but they also restrict visibility and cause road safety issues for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians using this busy dual carriageway.

"To my dismay, it recently came to light the council do not actually own the temporary blue hoardings (including the structural steel propping behind) and taxpayers have been paying to hire them for the past 13 years.

"Can the portfolio holder therefore provide a breakdown of the total hire costs for these hoardings (including the structural steel props) since they were installed in 2009?"

Speaking to KentOnline, he said: "It’s very worrying that we’ve been renting the hoardings all these years, and we’re hoping now to get answers about the cost. Hopefully the unsightly hoardings will be a thing of the past soon."

The barriers were placed along the road to protect a crumbling wall next to the dual carriageway in 2011, after safety concerns were raised about cracks appearing as early as 2009.

Yet 13 years after concerns were first raised, it has still not been fixed despite council plans to repair it this summer.

The fencing, which was only meant to be a temporary safety measure, now has peeling paint, is covered with graffiti, and the vegetation around the wall is overgrown.

Some residents even raising concerns they are a danger to traffic.

Cllr Stamp said the hoardings restrict visibility for cars turning out of Camden Road onto the dual carriageway.

In 2016, the council was contacted after a cyclist was knocked down by a car turning out of the street.

In August 2009, the wall was inspected by surveyors from South Thames Gateway building control partnership, and found not to be imminently dangerous, but by the following March, Medway's director of regeneration Robin Cooper said the council was looking to add the wall to its priority list of retaining wall repairs.

"Suffice to say, this long-running saga is not the council’s finest hour"

By 2011, work had still not been completed, and Cllr Stamp informed the council the wall was leaning over, the cracks were getting worse, and the wall appeared to be dangerous.

At the time, the highways team said it would take refurbishment steps in the coming weeks, but repairs have been long-delayed after disputes over who had responsibility for the repairs, and the fact the other side of the wall backs onto private lock-up garages.

Where the wall supports a public highway, it is the responsibility of the highway authority, which is Medway Council.

Where the wall is a danger to highway users and its ownership is unknown, the highway authority has the powers to secure repairs to the wall by the owner of the land, which is also Medway Council.

Medway confirmed last year the wall itself was made safe in 2009.

The hoardings, which were placed in June 2011, can be seen from the Premier Inn in Pier Road, which opened in 2015 and was forecast to bring more than £5 million to Medway's economy.

Cllr Stamp said last month: "I’ve been in regular contact with the council’s highways engineers over the past few months about the retaining wall and the blue hoardings, which are an eyesore.

"I understand the works have been delayed but the detailed design for the rebuild of two sections of the wall along Pier Road have been completed and the council have received a quote for the works from their contractor, so there has been some progress."

He added the repairs are also delayed because the council needs to reach an agreement with the company which owns the garages above the wall on Leslie Road.

He said he had received an update from highways that the garage owners have indicated that the garages will be unoccupied from the New Year, so the council can begin to plan the works.

He continued: "Suffice to say, this long-running saga is not the council’s finest hour and it’s doubtful the works will be completed before I step down as a councillor next May.

"I would, however, like to state Medway Council’s current senior engineers are doing all they can to get the permanent repairs to the wall completed as quickly as possible, and I’ll keep pushing to get the works finished and the hoardings finally removed."

Alex Constantinides, Medway Council’s head of highways and transport, said: “To ensure the wall gets fixed, we will be carrying out the repair works.

"Unfortunately, arranging access to the site has taken longer than anticipated and the works are now due to be carried out in spring 2023.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”