Residents who have been cut off by a land slip in a rural Monmouthshire community will soon be reconnected as work is scheduled to begin on the reconstruction of a country road.

Villagers in Llantony have been faced with a four-hour round trip to Abergavenny since the incident in January, but it has been confirmed that work is due to begin after Easter to rebuild the road.

However, the purchase of roughly one-and-a-half acres of land adjacent to the road, where it will now be rebuilt, has ignited anger among residents over the “extreme” price of the purchase.

At least £100,000 of public funds will be required to purchase the land in order to complete the repairs. The cabinet is due to meet at 4.30pm on Monday, March 30 for the urgent decision, which the chief executive and the chair of the council’s place scrutiny committee have agreed can be taken without the usual call in process by which backbench councillors can ask for a review and put any decision on hold.

A report outlining the urgency of the decision will be presented to the next meeting of the full council. But Llantony resident and County Councillor, Rachel Buckler, has said the purchase could set an unhealthy precedent.

“I recognise the goodwill and intention of Monmouthshire County Council to do the very best for residents,” she said.

“But to have to react in extremis means that we are forced to accept what, in normal circumstances would be excessive costs. Funds have been obtained from the Welsh Government to help with these costs, but is it reasonable value for the taxpayer? I cannot believe it is.”

A report for the cabinet states purchasing the 1.5-acre strip of land, which will be used to re-align the road at the point of the slip, is “the only viable option”.

The report states residents and businesses have been badly affected by the closure of the road that has left the villages cut adrift, other than for the lengthy diversion which is a round trip of 70 miles that can add up to an hour and a half to journeys.

“Access for over 50 residential and business properties was compromised with the only access available over the Gospel Pass and 35-mile diversion,” the report states.

“The businesses are reliant on delivery of animal food for livestock and access for visitors to the wide range of tourism businesses, including the Llanthony Priority, that are prevalent throughout the valley and in the foot of Black Mountains and Bannau Brycheiniog region

“The residents of Llanthony and Capel Y Ffin are reliant on access to Abergavenny for work, medical care, shopping, post deliveries etc and access for those basic services results in an additional 70-mile diversion.”

The report stated: “This value exceeds the market value of the land but reflects the opportunity available and therefore land premium applied.”

The council said it has also reviewed all engineering options to repair the road but they have been discounted due to deliverability and costs while “deliverability and topographical constraints” ruled out improving tracks and trails through the valley as an alternative.