Urgent repairs to iconic breakwater further delayed

The scheme aims to preserve the breakwater beyond 2044

Urgent repairs to an iconic Grade I listed breakwater have been delayed again amid rising costs and funding shortages.

The Cobb in Lyme Regis is eroding at the seaward base of the wall that supports its buildings.

The project, which had already been pushed back from winter 2025 to the following spring, has now been delayed until autumn 2026.

The designs have also been revised in an attempt to cut costs.

Erosion is affecting the seaward base of the wall beneath the buildings

Strengthening and stabilising the Cobb is the fifth phase of planned coastal protection works that began in the 1990s.

Nick Marks, of Lyme Regis Harbour Consultative Committee, told Wednesday's harbours committee meeting that the Cobb scheme had been repeatedly delayed, even before the formation of Dorset Council in 2018.

He said: "The funding gap has not been filled and there appears to be no agreed design."

He asked for assurances that "phase five is seen as a priority" and "all necessary steps" were being taken.

Council coastal engineering manager Mathew Penny said there was "national uncertainty regarding future Defra-funded coastal defence grants".

The Cobb features in the film adaptation of The French Lieutenant's Woman

He said Dorset Council had approved a capital funding bid, including council money, and that "value engineering" work had received positive feedback from Natural England.

Mr Penny said construction would start in autumn 2026, and public engagement sessions would be held later this year "to find the least disruptive route to facilitate construction".

Previously it was reported the £3m project to preserve the breakwater beyond 2044 was at least £2m short.

The revised figure has not been made public.

The Cobb dates back to the 13th Century, although it has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times.

It features in novels and films, including The French Lieutenant's Woman and Wonka.