Takeaways from my meeting on the A379 Slapton Line

An update following the first public meeting focusing on the Slapton Line & coastal erosion in surrounding villages

I organised a meeting in Stokenham Village Hall, which unfortunately reached capacity prior to the meeting even starting.

I was joined by:

Julian Brazil - Leader of Devon County Council (DCC)

Steve Mullineaux - Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Community Services, Economy and Infrastructure at South Hams District Council (SHDC)

Laurel Lawford - South Hams District Councillor for Allington and Strete

Updates from Westminster

As soon as I was informed of the damage to the A379 on Tuesday morning, I and my team set to work. A member of my team went to Torcross to speak to people on the ground, while I am started writing to relevant government departments and pushing for meetings.

On Tuesday afternoon, I met with senior officials from the Department for Transport. While they are unable to make funding decisions, they listened to my request and advised that a new Fund will open soon which might be an option in this case. The government is still yet to run a consultation with local authorities on how this fund should operate and what funding could be used for, so is not an immediate solution. I have secured a further meeting with the Roads Minister week commencing 9^th February, and will provide an update when possible.

I raised the issue of the A379 in a parliamentary debate on Tuesday afternoon, where a Transport Minister was present, and also spoke to her briefly that evening. I have also been in touch with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and had already invited the Flooding Minister to visit affected communities in Torcross, Beesands and Hallsands.

Finally, I tried to bring this to the Prime Minister’s attention in this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, but was unfortunately unsuccessful.

I can assure you that I will keep raising this in Parliament with the relevant Departments, and hope to be able to highlight the issue directly to the Prime Minister next week.

Current situation

DCC are currently working hard onsite to make the damaged sections of the A379 safe, while work is also ongoing in Beesands to provide additional protection. We are aware that houses in Torcross are at risk, and many are shaking with the impact of the waves.

The situation continues to evolve, and no decision on the future of the A379 has been made or will be made in the next few days. More bad weather is forecast next week, so we need to allow things to settle before we will know the full extent of damage. We are therefore asking for patience at this time.

Different organisations are responsible for different sections – the seawall in Torcross is the responsibility of the Environment Agency, SHDC is the coastal protection authority, while DCC is responsible for the road itself. England is also a key stakeholder. It is essential that all parties are working off the same page,  as there is not just one decision maker.

Hundreds of suggestions have been made over the last few days for how we can deal with the issue, from bringing shingle to the bay and building a bridge to asking the USA for funding. Many of these options have been looked at by experts over the years. Relevant engineers will continue to discuss what is viable, but the final decision is likely to come down to funding.

Click below to read more about each of the points discussed.

Communication

We are all aware that communication with businesses and residents is key. We are happy to cascade information through Parish Councils and local networks, so community groups are encouraged to get in touch. 

Community involvement

There is uncertainty over what communities can do, how they can communicate and who they should lobby. My team will set up a petition to be shared locally which I will present to Parliament to ensure community voices are heard. As much as I value community input, I must ask that communication with my office on this matter is limited to urgent requests – my team and I are working extremely hard on this issue but it takes a great deal of time to respond to all emails.

Shoreline Management Plans

Shoreline Management Plans are in place for the entire coastline, defining how coastal flood and erosion risks will be managed. A different approach is in place for each section of coastline – the policy for Torcross village and parts of Beesands is ‘hold the line’, while the policy rest of the Slapton Line and part of Beesands is ‘managed realignment’. Plans for Start Bay with additional information can be found here: https://environment.data.gov.uk/shoreline-planning/subsection/SMP16/12

Funding

Julian Brazil highlighted the need for Government funding, as DCC does not have the money required to rebuild the A379 and protect it for the future – this would cost tens of millions of pounds, and could only last for one year.

Unfortunately, gaining Government funding could be a challenge as this part of the country is not a priority for Labour.

The Government’s Crisis and Resilience Fund was mentioned, which will be launched in April this year to support local authorities. My team will look into this further but it does not appear to be a viable option in this case.

Tensions

We are all aware of the tensions between those who believe we should not give up on protecting the Slapton Line and A379 and those who believe we should focus on adaptation. We understand that people have different opinions.

Many residents spoke in favour of repairing the A379 as there is no viable alternative, highlighting the high number of visitors and volume of traffic it carries.

Travel issues

An ex-firefighter highlighted the greater risk to life now due to the issues with travel, as it was previously often quicker for emergency services to travel along the A379. I am aware that this issue is of vital importance.

Inland road network

DCC have a small amount of money to invest in the back roads – to prevent flooding, add passing places, deal with blind spots etc. Julian Brazil accepts that adaptation of the inland road network should have been done previously, and this work is essential particularly as the A379 is likely to be closed for at least a year, even if it does eventually reopen.

The Slapton Line Partnership has been making some progress on this issue, and a working group was due to be meeting this week to discuss – this meeting was understandably postponed. Parish Councils are represented on the Slapton Line Partnership and will take on the role of communicator.

There was a great deal of discussion around the practicality of alternative routes, as lanes are so narrow and are prone to flooding. Some suggested making roads temporarily one way.

Deer Bridge was mentioned as a location that floods but dredging was not allowed by Natural England – I will contact Natural England about this.

The issue of signage was mentioned, as signs still direct drivers to the Torcross area – this needs to be updated as soon as possible. I had mentioned this point to Devon Highways prior to the meeting, and will follow up again. There is also a suggestion that Sat Navs need to be updated, so I will look into this.

Some suggested we should focus now on rebuilding the A379 in the knowledge that it may only last ten years, to give us time to work on the inland road network – Julian highlighted that this thinking is partly why the back roads haven’t been improved so far, because the focus has been on the A379.

Action groups

Residents advised that an action group is being formed to support my work.

Torcross issues

Residents highlighted the extremely worrying issues in Torcross – shaking houses, extensive damage and sewage flooding. Steve Mullineaux and I have both been in residents’ homes in Torcross and experienced how scary it is. Steve has spoken to engineers, and Building Control will examine all houses to assess safety. I have already been in touch with the Environment Agency regarding the damage to properties, and have invited them to visit the houses that are shaking. They are adamant that sea defences are fine and doing their job. Police and coastguard teams have been checking on residents in Torcross and offering temporary accommodation if needed.

Residents highlighted that the issues in Torcross have been caused by the beach level dropping by 2 metres, exposing the bottom of the seawall and preventing it from doing its job.

Some residents are unsure what to do about rebuilding and repairing, as they need to know their properties will be safe moving forward.

Concerned residents should contact Stokenham Parish Council, who will communicate to SHDC on their behalf.

Businesses

Businesses are extremely concerned about the future and need help in the short-term. A WhatsApp group of local businesses is being set up, and they will meet next week.

Future options

Julian shared his view that if the A379 is not rebuilt, the Start Bay area would be turned into a destination in its own right. There is an opportunity to turn this into one of the best wildlife areas in the country. Residents queried whether Natural England would be supportive of allowing people to use the Ley for paddleboarding etc – not motorboats. This is uncertain. Julian later stated that he had not wishes to seem insensitive about plans for the future.

Consultation

Julian and I both agreed that local communities should be able to share their views, and a proper consultation will be held on what happens next.

Car parking

Local authorities are looking at car parking, including the option of buying an extra field at Strete Gate to increase capacity.

South West Coast Path

Residents highlighted the importance of the South West Coast Path, which brings tens of millions of pounds to the local area and has no viable alternative other than the Slapton Line. My understanding is that the coast path itself is not under threat, as the ridge itself is more sustainable than the road and is unlikely to be breached.

Fundraising

I highlighted that I am aware of GoFundMe pages and advised residents to be cautious, as some may be scams.

Priorities

Steve highlighted the priorities as being: 1) Making sure people are safe.

2) Dealing with the evolving situation with further damage to the A379, Torcross Tank car park and Beesands, including providing additional protection in the short-term.

3) Looking at alternatives and plans for the future.

All points raised are valid, but we must deal with the issues in the order above.

Climate change

A resident raised the issue of climate change and suggested that fossil fuel companies should be paying for the damage caused. I am supportive of this but don’t have the capacity to lead a campaign.

Environmental designation

A resident asked whether we should consider declassifying the SSSI status of the area, as this appears to make everything more complicated and expensive. This would be a very difficult process, plus there are further European designations, but we will look into it.