A COMMITMENT has been made to raise the £21million needed to protect Lyme’s eastern side from coastal erosion.

Phase 4 of West Dorset District Council’s coastal protection works in the town will protect roads, public utilities, businesses and homes from the more serious effects of erosion and associated ground movement.

If the work were not carried out 144 properties would be destroyed within 50 years and a further 342 properties would lose their access.

Around 900 metres of Charmouth Road and Church Street the main road into the town, and its facilities would also be lost.

District councillors last week approved proposed funding arrangements to raise the £21,348,000 needed to pay for the design and construction.

The report that went before the district council’s full council meeting last Thursday recommended applying for Government approval and Defra funding.

It also recommended completing discussions with Dorset County Council about its contribution, and asked the district council to set aside £600,000 towards the work, as the scheme would also protect council assets such as the car park and road.

The district council will seek to re-coup the cost by securing section 106 contributions – funding for public open spaces and amenities, or benefits in kind – from developers in Lyme Regis.

But the council has also accepted that the work may impact on council tax levels, either if actual costs exceed the grant contributions, or if section 106 contributions are lower than expected.

Planning permission for the work was secured in April and work could begin in spring 2012, with completion expected in two years.

Engineers are recommending building 390 metres of new seawall, designed to have minimum impact on the foreshore geology, together with piling, drainage and other work to strengthen the coastal slopes.

West Dorset District Council leader Robert Gould said: “We are committed to providing long-term security for Lyme Regis and the people who live and work there.”

Story by Adrianne Maslen in the Lyme Regis News

Work on a £20m project to safeguard about 140 properties in a Dorset town from falling into the sea is scheduled to start in spring 2012.

The Lyme Regis coastal erosion scheme aims to stop roads, public utilities, firms and homes in the east of the town from being destroyed in 50 years’ time.

West Dorset District Council said part of the A3052, the main road into the town, is also at risk.

It said engineers have recommended building a 390m seawall.

A council spokesman said: “[The wall would be] designed to have minimum impact on the foreshore geology, together with piling, drainage and other work to strengthen the coastal slopes.”

‘Worst landslip’

The scheme includes “extensive landscaping to restore the natural habitat and reinstate the private gardens affected by the work”.

Planning permission for the work was secured in April and councillors recently approved proposed funding arrangements to raise the £21,000,000 needed to pay for the design and construction.

A report put before a full council meeting recommended applying for government approval and Defra funding.

The study also said discussions with Dorset County Council about its contribution needed to be completed.

The district council is expected to set aside £600,000 towards the work.

West Dorset council leader Robert Gould said: “We are committed to providing long-term security for Lyme Regis and the people who live and work there.”

In May 2008, about 400m (1,312ft) of cliff slipped between Lyme Regis and Charmouth, exposing an old landfill site.

Described as the “worst landslip for 100 years” in Dorset, it closed a beach.

The earth movement, the length of four football pitches, affected part of the 95-mile (153-km) Dorset and east Devon Jurassic Coast.

Story on the BBC website

RESIDENTS living in the most unstable part of Lyme Regis have welcomed the news that plans to protect the East Cliff have been approved by district planners.

The £20million plans to stop the town’s eastern flank from slipping into the sea went before West Dorset District Council’s development control committee last week.

It is the next major step in work to improve the landslip areas at Church and East Cliffs and protect the town, its infrastructure and historic structures.

District officers approved the scheme last Thursday in order safeguard around 144 homes, roads and services from coastal erosion and associated ground movement.

Residents living just metres away from the cliff edge are delighted with the news, but they realise there is a long way to go yet to secure their homes.

The district council must now apply to the Environment Agency and Government for approval and the £20million needed.

Sheila Poupard has lived at Cliff Edge, East Cliff, for 12 years but has lived in and around the area for almost 30 years.

During the major landslip in the 1970s, neighbouring properties were destroyed and the home she now lives in is just metres away from a sharp drop.

Mrs Poupard, a former town, district and county councillor, said: “Naturally I’m delighted with the news that the planning application for East Cliff has been approved.

“I’ve been involved with the project here for well over 20 years.

“Hopefully, the funding will now be made available to proceed with the plans in the near future.”

The district council said work could begin in spring 2012 at the earliest, with completion expected within two years.

Derek Hallett, of Church Cliff, said: “They are talking about 2014 for completion and it was originally going to be 2012 so we are already behind time.

“But I’m delighted the plans have been approved – we should be able to put the lifejackets away for good.

“I would like to thank the town council, East Cliff residents, and everyone who has worked extremely hard to get this. I think all of Lyme will be delighted.”

Mr Hallett’s partner Susanne Whitemore said: “I’m glad it has been approved – it’s a great relief to know something will be done soon.”

The couple lost 70ft of their garden during the 2003 landslip, which they said was ‘devastating’, and their house now stands just 24ft from the edge of the cliff.

“We’ve had to live with it,” said Mr Hallett. “We weren’t going to move unless we absolutely had to and hopefully we are not going to have to any more.”

Jane Leak has been living at East Cliff for 30 years and only her garden stands between her house and the cliff edge. She said: “I’m quite happy about it, if it’s going to happen, but the less the cliff is poked around with, the better.

“I would like to see it stabilised, providing it is stabilised properly.”

This is Phase 4 of the district council’s ongoing coastal protection works in Lyme and the work will include a new sea wall, slope stabilisation and landscaping, habitat restoration and management.

If nothing is done, Charmouth Road car park, much of Charmouth Road, Church Street, and major underground pipes and cables would be at risk of destruction or serious structural damage within 50 years.

But the scheme will prevent the loss of property and infrastructure for at least another 60 years.

For more information visit www.dorsetforyou.com/lyme

Story by Adrienne Maslen in the Lyme Regis News

‘HOLD the line at Hengistbury Head – or increase the risk of a flooding disaster’.

These men are fighting a proposed change in the coastal protection plan.

They say in time it could lead to the flooding of Christchurch Harbour, and the erosion of Hengistbury Head.

For the last five years, the council’s policy for the beach at the head has been ‘Hold the Line’ – a commitment to keeping or upgrading the sea defences.

The proposed policy for the next five years is ‘Managed Realignment’ – but the Hengistbury residents association fears that could mean defences are left fatally weak.

They are anxiously waiting to see if the Environment Agency approves the change, when the final Shoreline Management Plan is revealed in April.

The group want extra groynes put in between Double Dykes and Long Groyne to reduce erosion and reduce the chances of a sudden breach during a storm.

A consultants’ report says a breach could happen at any time with a bad enough storm – and the group said it would have “disastrous consequences” for people living nearby, and potentially for the whole future of Poole Bay.

Tony Bayliss, 67, building surveyor, said: “The neck of land at Double Dykes is already very narrow and we think that it should be protected from becoming even more flimsy.

“If there is a breach and it is not possible to stop up the new tidal stream, the Long Groyne at Hengistbury Head will be unable to do its job.

“Without the Long Gryone acting as a headland for Poole Bay, there will be huge erosion forces along the sea wall and promenades.”

Cllr Robert Lawton, cabinet member for Environment, said: “For the majority of Bournemouth’s coastline, including all the built-up area and Hengistbury Head, the policy is to ‘Hold the line’. “We are proposing to do all we can to ensure that we protect our coastline for future generations and the Shoreline Management Plan is crucial to achieving this.”

Story by Stephen Bailey in the Bournemouth Echo

DORSET’S Jurassic Coast is set to benefit from a £376,500 cash injection to help combat erosion and rising sea levels posed by climate change.

Dorset County Council environment chiefs teamed up with their East Devon counterparts to bid for a share of millions of pounds of Government cash.

The cash will be used on projects to benefit Preston Beach in Weymouth, Ringstead, Charmouth, Seatown and Swanage.

Hilary Cox, Dorset’s cabinet member for environment, said: “We are delighted that our bid has been successful.

“The coastal communities of Dorset and East Devon have lived with dynamic change for generations but it is clear that the risks and impacts from erosion, storms and rising sea levels are going to increase in future.”

The money, from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) Coastal Change Pathfinder Fund, will be used to support a range of activities aimed at helping communities along the Jurassic Coast to better understand and adapt to the perceived impacts of coastal change.

The cash won’t be going on physically upgrading sea defences but will bankroll strategies and contingency plans for ‘at risk’ areas.

This includes using state-of-the-art media to highlight the extent of coastal erosion, establishing ‘coastal change champions’ to shape debate at local level and developing training programmes for conservationists.

Swanage is one of six sites in Dorset and East Devon highlighted as most vulnerable to climate change.

The other fives areas are located further west from Purbeck.

Coun Cox added: “The funding will help take the future discussions we are having with the communities most at risk from these changes to a new level, helping us to visualise what change may look like and develop options to adapt.”

Last May a huge landslide destroyed 400 metres of world heritage coastline near Lyme Regis.

Story by Diarmuid MacDonagh in the Dorset Echo

FLOOD defences and the future shape of the Dorset coastline will come under the spotlight with a series of road shows next week.

Residents across Purbeck, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and the New Forest have been invited to view the Shoreline Management Plan (SMS), which covers the coastline from Hurst Spit to Durlston Head.

The blueprint, which is now being consulted on, is one of 49 plans across the country which will help the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs form their flood and coastal defence strategies for decades to come.

It takes on particular significance this week after the devastation caused by widespread flooding in Cumbria.

Each SMS breaks the coastline into different sections and recommends one of four policies.

* Hold the line – maintain or upgrade the level of protection provided by defences.

* Advance the line – build new defences seaward of existing defences.

* Managed realignment – allow realignment of the shoreline with management to control or limit movement.

* No active intervention – not to invest in providing or maintaining defences. Policies for the entire 118 mile coastal section, which includes five local authority areas, vary between hold the line and no active intervention.

Purbeck District Council natural environment spokesman Andrew Starr, said: “The Shoreline Management Plan will assist in protecting our communities against the long term risk of tidal flooding and will help determine the future shape of our coastline “These events will enable the public to learn more about the plans and talk to specialists.”

Each authority will host a road show, and will present the proposed policies for their areas.

Coastal engineers and environment agency representatives will explain proposals and answer queries.

ROAD SHOWS:

• New Forest: December 1. Beachcomber Café, Barton on Sea, 1-7pm
• Purbeck: December 2. Wareham Town Hall, 10am-2pm. Swanage Town Hall, 3-7pm
• Bournemouth: December 3. Bournemouth International Centre, 10am to 6pm, with presentations at two-hourly intervals.
• Poole: December 4. Dolphin Shopping Centre, 9.30am-4pm.

Story by Jim Durkin in the Bournemouth Echo

BOURNEMOUTH’S Hengistbury Head heritage site will continue to erode and eventually disappear if nothing is done to protect it, a report has predicted.

Part, if not all, of the Site of Scientific Interest could be lost over the next 100 to 200 years as nature takes its toll on the coastline.

The report commissioned by Bournemouth Borough Council is part of their Shoreline Management Plan and looks at whether they should be protecting the coastline in the short term.

The study considers the implications and likelihood of a breach at Double Dykes near Hengistbury Head.

It highlights the uncertainty of such an event and says much of this is down to climate change.

“The majority of previous studies believe that a critical event leading to a breach is low risk during the short or medium term.”

But looking to the future the report states: “Without defences and with no further intervention of any kind, Hengistbury Head would continue to erode.

“Within 200 years or so one bay would eventually form from the existing two. Hengistbury Head would eventually disappear, as would Christchurch harbour in its current form.”

The report suggests that it would take an extremely severe storm in the one in 200 year probability to cause a breach through the Double Dykes area – turning Hengistbury Head into an island.

In conclusion, the report states consideration should be given to what type of management should be put in place if a breach were to happen over the next 100 years.

“Defence and management approaches at Hengistbury Head cliffs and Mudeford Spit need to be considered, under the scenario of a permanent breach.”

Mike Hodges, representing Highcliffe Residents Association, feels preventative action needs to be taken now.

He said: “Why wait for disaster? Why not spend some sensible money now even if it’s a few million – a bit less than the tens of millions of pounds that will be needed in the long-term?”

Geoff Turnbull, major engineering developments manager, said: “The ongoing review of the Poole and Christchurch Bays Shoreline Management Plan has found that there is no significant risk to Hengistbury Head in the next 100 years.

“We will be continuing to monitor the area on a regular basis in order to inform our coast protection policies and any intervention required for the future.”

Other parts of the Dorset coast are also at risk.

Last summer, the National Trust said that it would have to relocate tourist facilities at Studland Beach before they fell into the sea, with the beach being eroded at a rate of two to three metres a year.

Story by Paula Roberts in the Bournemouth Echo

MEMBERS of the public can have their say on long term plans to protect the South Devon coastline.

Organisations involved in coastal management, sea defences and erosion across a large (400km) section of South Devon and Dorset are working together as a coastal group to produce a shoreline management plan.

Graeme Smith, chairman of the group, said: “Individuals, organisations and businesses can contribute their views on how and where we should defend the South Devon and Dorset coastline.

“People will have a say in how the local coastline is managed and defended for the next 100 years.”

The coastal group, which is led by Teignbridge Council, is running a public consultation on the plan until Friday, July 24. For more information visit www.sdadcag.org

Story in This is South Devon

EXMOUTH residents get the chance to have their say on major plans that could eventually see Queens Drive ‘moved’ back to combat coastal erosion.

The Shoreline Management Plan is part of a national drive to shore-up Britain’s coastal defences over the next 100-years, and a series of public events will be held in June.

All the agencies involved in coastal management, sea defences and erosion across a 400km section of the South Devon and Dorset Coast are working together.

The events will be used to gauge the public’s reaction before a report is filed in the autumn advising a policy for coastal defences into the 22nd Century from Durlston Head near Swanage to Rame Head near Plymouth.

And some ideas even suggest changing the shape of some the coastlines best-loved features.

Policies for the coastline are segmented, including one to cover the Exe Estuary and Exmouth and Budleigh beaches.

Four will be considered and ratified and include; maintaining or upgrading the level of protection provided by the current defences; build new defences; allow ‘retreat’ of the shoreline through managed realignment; or do nothing.

Graeme Smith, Chair of the South Devon and Dorset Coastal Authorities Group said:

“This consultation is the principal way for individuals, organisations and businesses to contribute their views on how and where we should defend the South Devon and Dorset coastline.

“People will have a say in how the local coastline is managed and defended for the next 100 years.

“There are many complex areas within the region where local residents’ views are crucial in the development of appropriate policies which will result in coastal defence schemes on the ground and the creation of a strong Coastal Strategy.”

Alan Rafelt, Environment Agency said: “This is the first of a series of five Shoreline Management Plan reviews taking place for the whole of the South West coast and its estuaries.

“As a result of climate change, the coastline will be subject to rising sea level and more frequent storms. It is therefore important that we plan for the future.”

The events are listed on the Group’s website www.sdadcag.org, which also contains background information, accessible summary sheets, and full technical reports supporting the draft policies and plan.

Story in the Exmouth Journal

THE public can have their say on long-term plans for the South Devon and Dorset coastline in a series of consultation events in June.

The South Devon and Dorset Coastal Group’s production of a shoreline management plan will affect Sidmouth and other East Devon coastal towns in the future.

The nearest drop-in event to Sidmouth is at Bridport Leisure Centre on Wednesday, June 3, from 2pm to 6pm.

Alan Rafelt of the Environment Agency said it was important to plan for the future: “As a result of climate change, the coastline will be subject to rising sea level and more frequent storms.”

Check out the group’s website: www.sdadcag.org for more information.

Story on the Devon24 website