Policy paper

Dawlish Warren and Exmouth beach management

Updated 1 December 2014

This policy paper was withdrawn on 19 August 2015

Beach management works are not currently required at Exmouth. Therefore, the scheme will focus on the works at Dawlish Warren and will now be referred to as the Dawlish Warren Beach Management Scheme.

Applies to England

Dawlish Warren is a sand spit that shelters the mouth of the Exe Estuary in Devon. It is at risk from coastal erosion. Coastal erosion of the spit will increase flood risk to Dawlish Warren village as well as other locations further up the estuary.

The Warren is a nature reserve and provides a unique habitat for a range of coastal species. It is a popular tourist destination and is home to a number of small businesses and residential properties.

Exmouth is a popular seaside town on the other side of the estuary from Dawlish Warren. In recent years, as a result of coastal erosion, sand has been lost from some parts of the beach resulting in a loss of amenity for beach users.

You can see a collection of photos, a short film and display panels from the public exhibitions in June 2014 giving more detail about the project, on Flickr.

Identifying the causes of coastal erosion

The Exe Estuary flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy identified that the narrow part of Dawlish Warren is at risk of being broken through as a result of storms and sea level rise. If this happened, it would increase the risk of flooding to estuary communities such as Starcross, Lympstone, Topsham and Exmouth.

You can read more about the strategy at Living with a Changing Coast.

Community engagement

Proposals for Dawlish Warren and Exmouth were shared with the public at exhibitions held in June 2014.

The Living with a Changing Coast project works with schools and coastal communities around the Exe Estuary to help them to be better prepared for coastal erosion and sea level rise. A range of factsheets and education resources for primary and secondary schools are available. You can also find out more about the history of a changing coastline around the Exe Estuary and how to become more resilient.

As was explained at the exhibitions, beach management works are currently not required at Exmouth and the project will now concentrate on works at Dawlish Warren. From now on, the project will be known as The Dawlish Warren Beach Management Scheme.

The solution: beach recharge

The Environment Agency and its partner Teignbridge District Council propose the following range of works that are needed at Dawlish Warren to allow the sand spit to continue to act as a barrier to storm waves, whilst improving the site for people and wildlife.

This includes work to:

• add extra sand to the beach at Dawlish Warren, a process known as beach re-charge
• maintain the seawall and revetment at the base of Dawlish Warren sand spit, near to the tourist facilities and village
• repair, replace and possibly extend the wooden groynes along the beach
• build a new flood defence near the visitor centre to reduce the risk of tidal flooding to Dawlish Warren village
• remove the gabions (rock filled wire baskets)

This work will help to protect the communities, main rail line and other infrastructure inside the estuary whilst also improving the quality of the beach and allowing the sand dunes to recover.

Cost of the scheme

The project will seek approximately £14 million of central government funding. The estimated long term monetary value of the Warren continuing to shelter communities and the main railway line from storms is £158 million.

Contact the project team by emailing devoncornwallenquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk or call Richard Cox on 01392 352477.