The Slapton Line Partnership met last week to hear situation reports from the statutory authorities and pleas for assistance from representatives of the affected communities in and around Start Bay. The minutes of the meeting have just been published and you can read them here.
Devon County engineers made an extraordinary discovery as they excavated the collapsed culvert in central Kingsbridge this week: several feet under the tarmac at the junction of Fore Street and Bridge Street they found what appears to be the original King’s Bridge over the brook that ran into the estuary, and from which the town took its name. The full story is here: TM kingsbridge leaflet 3 UPDATED POST TM CALL 260226.
Draft minutes of February’s Full Council meeting are now published and available here.
This excellent piece from the University of Plymouth’s Coastal Processes Research Group details the latest thinking on the impact of coastal erosion on Start Bay.
Your local Neighbourhood Policing Team for Kingsbridge, Salcombe and the surrounding area will be at The Start Bay Inn, Torcross, at 11:30 am on Monday 23rd February. Please come along and take this opportunity to raise any concerns you may have and to find out what we are doing to tackle the issues that matter to you.
Everyone is welcome and it would be great to see you there. For more information please contact me – PCSO Tom – via this Community Messaging or via the front office in Kingsbridge.
If there are any other people you would like to invite to the Community Messaging, please advise them on how to join using this link to the website: https://community-messaging.dc.police.uk
The agenda for next Thursday’s full council meeting is now published and available on the website.
Many Start Bay residents will be aware of an organisation called the Slapton Line Partnership. Others, who perhaps haven’t been in the area for so long, might not have heard of it. So as part of our continuing efforts to provide readers with the background to help them understand where we find ourselves, and how we got here, this 5-minute primer will explain who and what the SLP is and what it does.
The Slapton Line Partnership was formed in 2001 to:
The Partnership is made up of staff and officers from Devon County Council, South Hams District Council, South Devon National Landscapes Unit, Field Studies Council, Wild Planet Trust, Natural England, and the Environment Agency, together with elected representatives from Devon County, South Hams, and the three parish councils that surround Start Bay: Strete, Slapton, and Stokenham.
The most recent coastal management strategy for the Slapton Line was adopted on 3rd November, 2023. The Partnership meets throughout the year to develop the strategy and the associated adaptation planning.
Parishioners will be pleased to learn that works to repair the pedestrian footway and bridge from Helmers Estate to the Park and Chillington Village Hall, delayed for weeks because of bad weather, will commence on 18 February (weather permitting!) We anticipate that the work should take no longer than a week to complete, barring any unforeseen events.
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.