Takeaways from my meeting with the Roads and Flooding Minister

I met with Minister for Water and Flooding Emma Hardy and Minister for Roads and Buses Simon Lightwood earlier today.

The positive take-away from the meeting was that the DfT are open to a submission from Devon County Council for funding to help adapt the back roads around Torcross and Slapton so they are more resilient and/or the repair and reopening of the A379. No promises were given but I will ask DCC to provide an estimate of costings for the area’s road network as soon as possible.

I also raised the possibility of an ambitious coastal defence scheme which could see the replacement of shingle into the bay and an offshore barrier, to give the area more stability in the long term and protect the shoreline from more storm damage.

Minister Hardy referred me back to the local Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), which is the document that dictates what is to happen to the coastline over time. The local SMP varies according to which part of the coast you are looking at – Beesands, Torcross and the Slapton Line all have different designations, with Torcross being ‘Hold the Line’ and further north being ‘Managed Retreat’ – which I outlined.

I asked about the £10.5bln that has been committed by national government for flooding and coastal erosion, and how we in South Devon could access a fraction of that funding to build long-term, sustainable coastal defence. It appears that the Environment Agency will decide how and where that money will be spent, according to local SMPs, and it was not clear whether funding would be available for schemes like this.

I will now be speaking with the local representatives of the Environment Agency to see how we can pursue this as an option for Start Bay.

So, possibly some progress on roads funding, but little clarity on whether the government will step in with funding for a more ambitious project to provide long-term viability for the area.