Multi-million pound scheme will protect the coasts
Rock armour is installed on the Minehead seafront
At a glance
A multi-million pound scheme will better protect a coastal town from flooding and erosion.
- Published
A multi-million pound scheme will better protect a coastal town from flooding and erosion.
Minehead in Somerset is prone to coastal flooding, with the Butlins resort in the town having to temporarily close December 2023, due to torrential rain.
The Environment Agency began work around the time of this rain, using £3.7m to stabilise 360m of "a vulnerable shingle ridge".
EA coastal engineer, John Buttivatn said: "As we all know too well, Britain’s weather is becoming more extreme than ever, so time really was of the essence for us to be able to address the emergency repair requirements before winter hit."
Thousands of tonnes of granite was delivered to Blue Anchor
Senior project manager for Kier, the firm carrying out the work, Matt Phillips said: “This is not usually the type of project you can get off the ground in a few weeks given the complexity associated with coordinating everything from the shipping, tugs, rocks and barges through to the ground teams to deliver it all."
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the completed scheme will ensure hundreds of properties and a key section of the West Somerset Coast Path will be protected for decades to come.
The EA's Wessex flood and coastal committee previously dedicated £1.5m towards coastal defence works in the Watchet area and the funding remains available.
They did not confirm any time restrictions on the funds, however, Somerset Council said in December 2023 it is focused on protecting the coast.
Therefore, the money cannot go directly towards either reopening the B3191 Cleeve Hill or delivering a new road towards Blue Anchor.
A spokesman said: “There is £1m of flood defence grant in aid and £500,000 of local levy funding for Cleeve Hill.
“Our understanding is that the money is for coastal works, such as cliff reinforcement or strengthening, and couldn’t be diverted towards an alternative road further inland. In any case, this would represent a fraction of the money required.”