Winter blanket could be put in place to protect beaches from storms

Work to reinstate the depleted shingle beaches in front of the town and below the cliffs at East Beach in Sidmouth could start within a month - if East Devon District Council can obtain approval for the job and funding to pay for it.

This is an opportunity to access Government funding to reinstate the Main Beach and East Beach to the levels they were at before last winter’s storms.

Councillor Andrew Moulding, the council’s deputy leader and chairman of a group looking at longer term coastal defence issues for Sidmouth, said: “This is a window of opportunity to provide the seafront and Sidmouth East beach with a protective ‘winter blanket’, using emergency funding that is available now. We are determined to grasp this opportunity if it is humanly possible to do so”.

If the proposal goes ahead, it could give the Main beach and East beach a protective layer of shingle before the onset of any winter storms like those that caused havoc on some stretches of the UK coastline at the beginning of this year.

This is a completely separate operation from the longer-term project to provide Sidmouth with a new Beach Management Plan (BMP). Members of the working party for the BMP have been informed of the shingle movement proposal.

The work would involve taking thousands of tonnes of shingle from the western end of Sidmouth’s main beach, where it has accreted, and transporting it to the eastern end of the Main Beach and East Beach where it has been eroded. This will give a more healthy beach profile in readiness for the winter storms.

Timing is all important if the operation is to go ahead – both from the point of suitable weather conditions and Government approval of funding, with a deadline of this autumn for work to start.

Key to the whole operation are the Environment Agency, who have to prioritise funding set aside by the Government to pay for emergency works to protect the UK’s coastal communities in the wake of last winter’s storms, which saw structural damage to buildings in some South West resorts and the prolonged closure of the main rail link with London at Dawlish. Sidmouth escaped major problems over and above minor flooding and shingle being thrown up on to the Esplanade but the shingle on the beach that helps to protect Sidmouth was denuded.

Engineers at Knowle are in talks with Environment Agency (EA) officials following monitoring of beach levels by the Plymouth Coastal Observatory, who found that while beach levels had lowered, there had been a significant build-up of shingle near Chit Rocks.

A number of tenders have been received for carrying out the operation and discussions are now taking place to decide which company is offering the most cost-effective solution and which system of transporting and moving the shingle is most appropriate..

Councillor Moulding added: “We are aware that in 2013 we tried something akin to this when gravel from dredging of the River Sid was deposited beside the fishermen’s area. That material was washed away overnight by heavy seas before we even had the chance to move it. We realise the risk but this is an opportunity for government funding to help us reinstate beach levels in readiness for the winter storms.

“This operation will go ahead only if we can get the necessary approvals and funding. We should know within the next month if it is going to happen.”