The Environment Agency is getting ready to showcase plans for its £12 million Exmouth tidal defence plans.
Exmouth residents and businesses are being invited to catch up with the progress that has been made on the Exmouth tidal defence scheme at a public exhibition at Exmouth Town Hall on 28 June.
Attendees will learn more about planned improvements and construction work to reduce flood risk for 1,800 properties at the drop-in exhibition.
The project, which is being jointly undertaken by the Environment Agency and East Devon District Council, includes new flood walls, ground raising, flood gates and property flood resilience measures along the sea front and estuary-side. The scheme is due to be completed by 2021.
Planning permission for the Exmouth tidal defence scheme was granted by East Devon District Council in January 2019. This was a hybrid application that included outline planning submissions for Morton Crescent and Alexandra Terrace Junction.
On 11 June 2019, full planning permission was granted for Morton Crescent, allowing access to this site for the construction of a new flood wall (on the line of the existing wall) as well as pedestrian flood gates and landscaping.
The plans include a proposal to allow a road to be closed off at one location in storms with flood gates so that lower lying properties inland are better protected from coastal flooding.
Information will also be available about the construction work that has already begun on the Exmouth tidal defence scheme. This includes a new tidal defence wall, which is being built alongside Royal Avenue, together with ground raising within the nature reserve to the north.
Work is due to start in June on strengthening the existing sea wall on the Esplanade as well as new tidal defences in the Camperdown Terrace area.
Ben Johnstone, Environment Agency flood and coastal risk manager for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said contractors had already begun work and he start of construction marked an important step on the way to reducing tidal flood risk from the Exe Estuary in Exmouth.
The £12 million Exmouth Tidal Defence project will reduce flood risk from the current 4 per cent chance of happening in any year to a 0.5 per cent chance of happening in any year for 1,800 properties currently at risk of flooding. The scheme design takes into account the impacts of climate change and sea level rise so the defence can be improved in future years as needed.
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