Council assigns funds to Sidmouth coastal defences

Councillors agreed to spending almost £2 million to protect Sidmouth's coastal defences in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday

East Devon District Council has made £1.7m available to improve Sidmouth's coastal defences.

It has chosen a new scheme that involves installing a 120m (393ft) rock groyne on the beach to protect the town from eroding cliffs and high tides.

The cost of improving the coastal defences had risen due to staff shortages and inflation increasing prices for materials, LDRS reported.

Work on the scheme is set to begin in just over two years, it said.

Cllr John Loudoun said the move would show the council was committed to protecting the town.

"We have been through a large number of ups and downs, I hope the fact that we are committing to putting just under £2m into this will give reassurance to residents that we are serious about supporting this, taking this forward and making sure that it comes to fruition," he said.

The council is set to spend £1.7 million to continue maintenance work on sea defences and will work with the Environment Agency to try to bring the figure down with funds from central government.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday it agreed to its part of the cost.

Cllr Paul Hayward said paying now would save the council and town money in the future.

He said: "It's not just residents who live near the cliff, it's the fact that a flood event in Sidmouth would decimate business, as it would decimate any seaside town.

"And that could be billions, it could be hundreds of millions in lost businesses, lost revenue, lost jobs, so actually, to deal with it now, and to progress is very sensible."