Slapton Coastal Zone Management Study
Project Introduction
Scott Wilson was commissioned by the Slapton
Line Partnership to prepare a long-term management plan for the
coast at Slapton. The Partnership is a grouping of stakeholders
including the local council, the highway authority, Environment
Agency and Natural England.
Project Background
A storm resulted in the coastal link road at Slapton being
damaged and closed for 6 months. The coast road, which is a
regionally important highway, runs along a gravel barrier beach
separating the open sea from a highly designated brackish
lagoon.
Value Adding Project Achievements
Key issues for the study were:
What was the cause of road loss? How often will events such as the
storm occur? What will happen to the beach and road if no
protection is provided? How soon will the shingle bank erode?
If erosion protection is provided, what effect will it have on the
sensitive ecology and geomorphology of the area? If the road
is closed, what effect will this have on sustainability of local
communities?
A programme of site investigations, land and marine surveys and
numerical modelling studies was completed. From this work a model
of the causes of erosion was developed, verified and then used to
make long-term assessments of risk taking into account sea level
rise and climate change.
A range of management options were considered, including allowing
the barrier to erode, preventing erosion by use of soft or hard
defences and realignment of the road landwards. Options were
assessed according to technical, economic and environmental
criteria.
Value Adding Project Achievements
Managed Realignment - moving the road
landwards in a series of phases over time was identified as the
preferred option. This has subsequently been adopted as the
management policy and a very contentious project which initially
aroused considerable local argument has been successfully
completed.