Sea wall needs £1m in 'urgent' repairs
The council said it had used concrete blocks and sand to keep the wall intact
At a glance
Cabinet members approved the £1.1m emergency repair works at Exmouth
Without works the sea would 'erode the seafront further', councillors hear
The recommendations are now due to go to full council
- Published
A sea wall needs emergency repairs costing £1.1m to save it from collapse, councillors have been warned.
A barrier made of steel sheet piles should be installed at Exmouth, East Devon District Council cabinet members agreed.
Cracks appeared in the sea wall in August 2023 and a storm at the end of October weakened it further.
Councillor Steve Gazzard said the issue was "rightly called an emergency" as more storms could cause it to "completely fail and collapse".
Without emergency repairs the wall is at long-term risk, councillors say
He added: "That’s not being over the top. That’s being realistic from what we’ve been told by the consultants."
The council said it had used concrete blocks and sand to keep the wall intact through Storm Ciaran.
The report to cabinet said: "Given the location of the failed and failing wall, it is not an option to do nothing and allow the sea to erode [it] further."
The next stage, recommended by council officers, was to build a "steel sheet pile wall" in front of the sea wall to provide greater protection.
If approved, work could start in January and is expected to take about eight weeks.
Sheet piles have also been installed in Teignmouth
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The Environment Agency could help cover about £500,000 of the cost but this was not yet guaranteed, cabinet was told.
The recommendations agreed by cabinet will be discussed at full council on 6 December.
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