Latest news with #coastaldefence
BBC News
8 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Sidmouth coastal defence work pushed back to 2027
The start date for a £21m coastal defence scheme has been pushed back to 2027 due to "various delays", a council has Devon District Council said the project would help protect Sidmouth town and seafront from flooding and erosion for the next 100 project was originally due to begin this year but the council said "a number of factors" had caused delays, including discussions around planning and "various delays due to contractor and staff resources". Councillor Geoff Jung, portfolio holder for coast, country and environment, said: "The team is confident that good planning and teamwork will ensure the project succeeds in protecting Sidmouth's coast." He said they "recognise how important this coastal defence scheme is for the people of Sidmouth"."We're fully committed to moving ahead positively, and we're grateful for the continued support from our community, local councils, and partners," he project, which includes the area between Jacob's Ladder and East Beach, was originally due to begin this August 2024 the council announced delays, saying the project was due to begin in around two years' time.A tendering process is set to begin later in the summer, with the company chosen to carry out the work set to be appointed by the end of the the chosen contractor has been appointed, the project will move onto the design stage, with local residents and stakeholder groups Devon Distict Council is working alongside Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Councils to form the South West Flood and Coastal (SWFC) team.A project board made up of representatives from the council, the Environment Agency and other key partners is also overseeing the delivery of the project and its council said the preferred option for the scheme, chosen following community consultation, is a hybrid one involving breakwaters and increasing the level of shingle on the beach, known as recharging.A "super groyne", which is a barrier going from the beach to the sea, is to be built on East beach or a possible offshore breakwater could be built, which would be designed specifically to retain shingle. The new shared SWFC service would provide sufficient officer and specialist support to this important scheme moving forward, they said plans for a splash wall, which is a secondary coastal defensive wall, was to be re-evaluated and re-considered, following further careful studies."This option will save money in the long run while protecting homes and businesses in the area from floods, risks of rising sea levels, impacts of climate change and erosion for years to come," they project has been funded by the Environment Agency, local councils and community groups.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Bacton sandscaping saves £3 million in flood damage
Six years since a pioneering coastal defence project was implemented on the Norfolk coast, local people say their lives have been transformed with improvements to mental health, tourism and property prices. The £19m sandscaping project was designed to stop Bacton gas terminal from falling into the sea. Enough sand to half-fill Wembley Stadium was dredged and pumped ashore to rebuild the beach. A new study has found it has already prevented £3m of flood damage in the villages of Bacton and Walcott. 'The wind ruled our lives' In 2018, the future of the village of Walcott hung in the balance. With no beach left because of coastal erosion it was at risk of being swept away by the sea. Pauline Porter, chair of the parish council, says people left the village after 70 properties were damaged during a storm and tidal surge in December 2013. "The wind ruled our lives. If there were high tides you stayed close to the village in case your needed to rescue your pets or valuables. It was a way of life."There was no beach. You had a good drop of 12 to 14ft most of the time and as fast as the steps were made longer to reach the beach, the faster the beach disappeared."We used to have three to five flood evacuations a year, but since sandscaping we haven't had one. "Had it not been for sandscaping the village would have been lost under the sea." In 2019, two million cubic metres of sand were dredged and pumped ashore to raise beach levels by up to seven metres. The £19m project was mainly funded by the owners of Bacton gas terminal, which handles a third of the UK's natural gas supplies, with £5m coming from public funds. The sandscaping project has a 15 to 20 year design life. Six years on, the sand has moved up and down the coast as well as offshore, creating a small bar that dissipates the energy of the waves. 'I feared for the business' For years the Kingfisher Cafe could not get flood insurance. Since the sandscaping it can once again. Owner Graham French says he used to wonder if he was going to lose the business."If it had not been for the gas terminal we would not have benefitted from the sandscaping scheme."We now feel we can invest in the business and customers have been coming back." '£3 million of flood damage prevented' A draft report prepared for the Crown Estate has found that between 2019 and 2023 the sandscaping has prevented serious flooding in the villages on at least one occasion, saving £3m in damage to properties. It also concluded that it is likely to have prevented erosion of the B1159, the main access road to the gas terminal. A survey of residents carried out by the University of East Anglia found mental health and investor confidence in the area had improved. The project's designer says it has bought time. Jaap Flikweert from Royal HaskoningDHV says beaches from Mundesley to Happisburgh have built up more than they thought. "We expected the bulge of sand would erode quite rapidly but it has also moved elsewhere." He says the study for the Crown Estate has also put a value on the savings to the nation due to people not being out of work or needing to use the NHS services for poor mental health."In just a few years we estimate it has brought another £3-4m of benefit. It is really good to see that the scheme does its job." 'Nature-based solutions' The man who co-ordinated the project says it is not a solution for all communities fighting coastal erosion. Rob Goodliffe, who is coastal transition manager at North Norfolk District Council, says it has demonstrated the benefits of nature-based solutions to sea level rise."Any scheme has to stack up economically but you cannot necessarily pick this up and drop it into another area."The owners of Bacton gas terminal were approached by the BBC but declined to comment. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
