Archive for category: News

A quick note on the state-of-play at each of our coastal settlements as we move into this school half-term week following the recent storms:

At Hallsands the clean-up is well underway, led by the usual excellent volunteer team from the village. Please note that the car park is currently closed. Parish Council will meet with residents shortly to discuss necessary next steps.

At Beesands, existing rock armour has been repositioned and an additional 500 tons of new rock imported to reinforce the beachhead around the old Village Green. In a couple of locations an extra rock wall has been built across the bayfront to lessen the impact of incoming waves. Engineers hope that wave-borne shingle will fill these inlets, adding to the resilience of the backwall of rock. The additional rock will also cover the old slipway, adding vital protection to the car park and the road beyond. In the short to medium term the rock will have to be monitored and repositioned as necessary in response to any further storm damage. The car park is now largely clear of debris and the public toilets are operating. Discussions are in hand to redirect the Coast Path from the end of the far car park to Beesands Cellars and it is hoped this will re-open soon. Both the Cricket Inn and Britannia at the Beach are open for business and would appreciate your support. Further updates will follow in due course.

At Torcross, work continues to evaluate the extent of the damage, consolidate the existing defences, and tidy up after the storms. Over 500 tons of rock have been added to the defences at the north end of the village and this has prevented a significant breach of seawater into the Ley at the point where it is deemed most vulnerable. Tidy-up and safety works along the damaged road have continued: overhanging tarmac has been chipped off and as much of the broken surface as possible has been removed from the beach. Removal of the remainder the damaged piling will recommence after the half-term holiday, as will work to create a more permanent entrance to the car park.

The sea wall, which is owned by the Environment Agency, is being monitored to ensure its continuing structural integrity. Engineers will want to respond to the widespread belief in the area that its effectiveness was compromised during the storm by the unusually low beach levels, which resulted in the piling at the base of the structure, normally covered by shingle, being exposed to the full force of the incoming waves. Parish Council will convene a meeting of affected residents with representatives from the Environment Agency to explore this issue in the near future.

The clean-up around the houses on the seafront most affected by the storm continues: it is believed that some have suffered serious structural damage. Problems of overflowing sewage have been largely dealt with, at least in the short term. After intervention from Parish Council and heroic efforts by SHDC and Devon County Highways, the Tank car park is scheduled to re-open this weekend, as will the public toilets, and the Coast Path will re-open at the same time. Businesses in Torcross are open and would appreciate your support.

Stokenham Parish Council is grateful to the officers and members of South Hams District Council, Devon County Council, and their contractors for their steadfast assistance during these difficult past few weeks. Further updates will follow in due course.

Two weeks since the arrival of Storm Ingrid and the community is still reeling from shock: there is a palpable sense of grief, both for the damage to the coastline and to the homes of the people who live there, and for the loss of the iconic road that runs the length of the Line. We’ve had storms before, but this one feels different. Suddenly the idea that we’re living on the front-line of climate breakdown – impossible to imagine when you’re strolling along the seafront in Torcross on a beautiful summer’s day – seems very real and tangible. However things pan out from on, there are clearly going to be some very hard choices to be made in the coming weeks, months, and even years.

How did we get here? Everyone has their own pet theories as to the cause, and favourite remedies as to the solution. The science, however, is fairly clear, and over the next few weeks and months we will be publishing a selection of writings to help our readers – who, as residents of Stokenham parish, have a right to know what’s going on – understand the background to the situation the community finds itself in. Our aim is to give our readership the best available knowledge-base to make their own informed decisions about the various options that will be open to us, and the pros and cons of each approach. Only that way can we hope to reach conclusions that are sensible, evidence-based, sustainable, and to the long-term benefit of the community.

 

Rock-moving work continued apace today (4 February) at Torcross and Beesands in an effort to reinforce coastal defences ahead of tonight’s expected bad weather. The combination of a high tide, low surface pressure, and an ENE wind gusting to 50mph is a particularly dangerous one for our battered coastal settlements and the already damaged A379 Slapton Line. Residents are urged to batten down the hatches and take extra care. The police and coastguard are on high alert.