3.1.3.2 Coastal Landscapes in the UK - Lyme Regis Coastal Management Strategies Case Study

Question 1

Where is Lyme Regis located?

Answer 1

• Lyme Regis is a small town on the South coast of the UK and makes up part of the stretch of coastline called the Jurassic Coastline (which is a World Heritage site and famous coast in England known for its fossils and coastal landforms – makes it extremely popular with tourists)
• It is located in southwest Dorset, in southwest England.
• It is an unspoilt seaside resort and fishing port on the historic harbour known as The Cobb

Question 2

Why is coastal management needed at Lyme Regis?

Answer 2

• Rapid rates of coastal erosion and landslides e.g., the old road from Charmouth to Lyme Regis which ran across the top of the cliffs above the town
• Geology of Lyme Regis is a mixture of limestones, which is resistant to erosion, and clay, which is vulnerable to erosion
• Lyme Regis is built on a layer of limestone, which is very solid. On top of that layer are slippery muds, clays, and sands, which slide over the limestone layer to form the landslides. These are all types of sedimentary rocks.
• The sea erodes the cliffs at the bottom of the land, causing it to become unstable and slip even further
• The cliffs to the east of the town were prone to landslides especially after rain because the muds and clays were saturated with water. This area was popular with fossil hunters.
• The beach was being eroded away
• The drainage system is inadequate to cope.
• Houses, buildings, and roads become damaged as the landslips towards the sea.
• Black Venn is the largest and most active coastal landslide in Europe
• Nine of 60 Monmouth Beach chalets have been demolished since a landslip in January 2013.
• In May 2008, about 1,300ft (400m) of cliff slipped between Lyme Regis and Charmouth, exposing an old landfill site (where rubbish is deposited)
• Waves with a long fetch across the Atlantic (if coming from southwest) increases erosion of coast
• 18 – 19 C huge amount of quarrying along coastline and between 1803 – 1830 as much as 90ft of the coastline was taken away as the solid bands of limestone present in the coastline were very popular for local building
• Houses, roads, and farmland are at risk of being damaged due to cliff landslides – there is a risk to life with some landslides
  
  • It was done to protect homes, roads and infrastructure from coastal erosion

Question 3

How has the coastal management plan at Lyme Regis been divided?

Answer 3

The management plan has been divided into 4 zones and phases, East Cliff, Monmouth Beach, The Cobb and The Harbour to Cobb Gate

Question 4

How much money has been spent to prevent coastal erosion at Lyme Regis?

Answer 4

More than £35 million has been spent since 1994 to prevent coastal erosion

Question 5

How much coastline has been secured? For how long? and how many homes have been saved?

Answer 5

• The work has secured 390 metres of coastline between Church Cliff and East Cliff for the next 50 years
• 480 homes have been saved from damage or loss of access
• Major utility pipes and cables that would have otherwise been destroyed by ground movement are protected

Question 6

Phase 1 (1990 – 1995) of coastal management scheme at Lyme Regis:

Answer 6

• New sea wall constructed as well as a promenade with rock armour east of the mouth of the river Lym
• £1.4mn project to try to stabilise the cliffs, using nails to fold the rock together

Question 7

Phase 2 (2005 – 2007) of coastal management scheme at Lyme Regis:

Answer 7

• Existing coastal defences are deteriorating or are under threat
• Therefore, the beaches are to be replenished with sand and shingle to absorb wave energy and protect the sea wall and sea front from erosion (dredged from the English Channel and imported from France)
• Removal of old wooden groynes, replaced by big stone groynes
• Rock armour repaired and extended to the end of The Cobb harbour
• Drainage improvements and weighing down of front of the cliff with soil nailing and steel piles in the park

Question 8

Phase 3 of coastal management scheme at Lyme Regis:

Answer 8

• Monmouth beach is under threat from erosion and flooding
• However, the risk of this phase outweighed the benefits of it, so this phase was scrapped

Question 9

Phase 4 (2015 – 2017) of coastal management scheme at Lyme Regis:

Answer 9

• Built a 390metre stretch of sea wall in the eastern part of Lyme Regis. Slopes at Church Cliff and East Cliff were stabilised.
• £19.5 million was spent on this phase, and it was deemed the ‘largest and most complex’ coastal protection schemes in England for years by the Environment Agency
• Stabilising and helping to drain cliffs to protect 480 homes

Question 10

Phase 5 (to do) of coastal management scheme at Lyme Regis:

Answer 10

Repair the walkway along the promenade and continuing to strengthen the wall, especially in the area of The Cobbs

Question 11

Successes of coastal management strategies at Lyme Regis:

Answer 11

• Long-term protection against destructive coastal erosion and landslips
• More sand and shingle on the beach (beaches have been renewed with material) which continues to attract tourism
• A new promenade along the seafront. It will be possible to walk along the whole beach even at high tide - calmer conditions for boards in the harbour and bay
• Better access to the public gardens, including ramps for people using wheel chairs and prams
• Improvements to roads
• Tourism is very important to the town’s economy, so protecting the coastline is important to protecting and providing a more secure future for the town’s people and jobs/businesses

Question 12

Failures of coastal management strategies at Lyme Regis:

Answer 12

• Expensive for such a small community - total cost of the scheme exceeded £43 million, money which could have been spent on other things
• The protection will only last approximately 50 years. They might have to spend this amount of money again.
• There will be an expectation that they should continue to defend the region, but the money could be spent elsewhere so they could just accept the fate of the town now, relocate everyone and redistribute money to other projects.
• Sale of houses and businesses on the sea front after 50 years could be difficult.
• Come coastal defences have deteriorated and needed fixing sooner than it was thought. This means that the scheme has costed extra money and taken longer than expected.
• The interference of the sea defences with natural processes is effectively moving the erosion further up the coast to Charmouth
• The lack of landslides also means a lack of new fossil material being revealed on the shore. Fossil hunting is a core business along this coastline, with Lyme Regis being a “must-see” destination for many
• Many people believe the new sea defences are unsightly