NATURAL England experts have objected to a bid by residents to slow the decline of Sidmouth’s crumbling coastline – because the scheme will halt rapid erosion.

Cliff Road homeowners hope to reach an agreement with the body over their proposals for a £900,000 rock revetment along the base of cliffs near Pennington Point.

A group of residents, turned activists, spent £10,000 on a planning application they think will prevent catastrophic flooding of the town, protect Alma Bridge and the coastal footpath, and save their properties from toppling into the sea.

But Natural England says the proposed rock revetment is in “direct conflict” with a shoreline management plan for the area. (more…)

MORE than 125 people flocked to a Jurassic Coast Pathfinder exhibition that sparked debate on Sidmouth’s crumbling coast.

Recharging beach at Pennington Point or extending town-centre sea defences to the east were suggested by those who attended the event at Kennaway House last Thursday, writes Charlie Lister.

Residents and visitors got the chance to learn more about coastal erosion and get involved in making decisions about managing the coastline. (more…)

RESIDENTS will get a glimpse of what Sidmouth’s coastline could look like in the next 20 to 100 years next month.

Specially commissioned computer-generated images will feature in a special exhibition aimed at highlighting the causes of coastal change- and how erosion might affect the town in the future.

The event, at Kennaway House on Thursday, July 21, from 10am to 8pm, will give visitors the chance to see what Sidmouth’s Jurassic Coast may look like in 20,50 and 100 years time. (more…)

Residents who live in 12 properties on Cliff Road say their properties are threatened because of cliff erosion. They have submitted a planning application for a protection scheme to East Devon District Council.

The residents have funded the £10,000 application themselves which is for a 240-metre long, 4.5-metre high rock revetment at the base of the cliffs near Pennington Point at the mouth of the River Sid.

The scheme could cost around £900,000 of public money.

Residents say their homes could fall over the cliff face within 15 years if action is not taken soon. (more…)

SIDMOUTH could cash in on a share of £376,500 awarded to Dorset County Council to fight rising sea levels and coastal erosion caused by climate change.

On Wednesday the Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) awarded £11 million in grants to local authorities through its Coastal Change Pathfinder competition.

Dorset CC, in partnership with Devon County Council, successfully bid under the banner of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

“This is brilliant news for Sidmouth, being the only coastal location identified in Devon, and I believe it may well be possible to draw down the funding to help us come up with a scheme that will be acceptable to everyone that will protect Sidmouth from coastal flooding,” said Councillor Stuart Hughes. (more…)

A CAUTIOUS welcome has been given to the revised South Devon and Dorset Shoreline Management plan by Devon County Council.

The revised plan updates the original SMP, first published in 1998, which sets out how the coastline and coastal risks should be managed from Plymouth to Durlston Head near Swanage over the next 20, 50 and 100 years.

Consultations on the plan, prepared for South Devon and Dorset Coastal Advisory Group, end today (Friday, July 24). (more…)

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

FAILING to include Cliff Road residents in a meeting of main asset owners over eroding Pennington Point, Sidmouth, has delayed debate on a consultant’s report.

East Devon District Council’s executive board agreed on Wednesday to hold a meeting between officers, consultants Royal Haskoning and owners of 12 cliff-top homes before debating what, if any, action to take to protect the Point. (more…)

RECENT dramatic cliff falls at Pennington Point have left the pathway linking Eastern Town with the rest of Sidmouth at risk.

Now, after more than a decade of surveys and discussions, the time has come for action, say Cliff Road residents and the Sidmouth Herald.

In 2002 one of four protection schemes was agreed by East Devon District Council, but rejected by English Nature, who felt it important to allow natural erosion to protect the cliff’s fauna and flora. (more…)

MOVES are being made to tackle the problem of erosion of the cliff face at Pennington Point, Sidmouth, and the safety issues raised by encroachment of the sea and landslips caused by heavy rain.

East Devon District Council is to review the current state of the cliffs with a view to the possibility of bringing forward a coastal protection scheme designed to give a degree of protection to Pennington Point near the mouth of the River Sid and reducing the threat to Eastern Town from encroachment by the waves as a result of coastal erosion and rising sea levels. (more…)