Penarth coastal erosion monitoring update for residents

In an Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee held on November 12, a coastal monitoring update was given. 

Cllr Anthony Ernest, raising a question after the presentation, said: “We've had some very large cliff falls in the last three to four years.

"Your excellent photographs and surveys show those in considerable detail. 

"I'm looking at reassurance to residents because there's no mitigation at all along these areas other than the rock facing down adjacent towards Penarth Pier.  

"I'm wondering as well whether you will need to look at giving explanations of the actions such as moving the fence lines on the cliff top back.  

"For example, on the cliff walk up Penarth, the fence line was moved back several metres probably four or five, six, years ago.  

"At Penarth Head the fence line has been moved back considerably in the past few months. 

“Of course, on top of that we have got the Wales coastal patch which runs from Lavernock through to Penarth which is used by many tens of thousands of people every year. 

"So, all I'm really looking for Clive, if you can, is what sort of reassurance can you give residents?"

The difficulty in trying to provide complete reassurance

In his reply, Clive Moon Engineering Manager said:

“We have discussions with individual residents, usually when some of their garden falls off the cliff or something is going to disappear. 

"We have direct contact with certain residents and some other residents we don't have direct sort of contact with. 

What I would say is unfortunately the undefended sections of the cliff are only going to go one way - they are going to carry on eroding. 

"The shoreline management policy for the Penarth frontage is to hold the line where there are existing defenses.  

"The open and undefended sections of cliff, there is no intention to start armoring those up or defending those. 

"The average rate of erosion on the coastline isn't forecast to impact any properties directly."

 Will coastal erosion impact residential properties? 

He added: "Now it may impact their gardens, and they may lose land, but it isn't forecast to get close to properties. 

"But we all know that it doesn't go that regularly, it tends to go in a bang and then you will lose sort of five metres or a little bit more in one hit. 

"Where that happens there still shouldn't be any properties along the coastline in the Penarth frontiers that would be directly impacted,” he added.  

However, he added that if you look beyond the short term and towards 100 years ‘at some point houses will likely be impacted by erosion’. 

What will happen to the coastal paths?

In his response, Clive Moon added: "A member of my team do liaise with sort of parks and public rights of way over moving the fence line and the impact on the coast path.

In terms of flood and coastal erosion management funding, funding wouldn't be made available just to protect or armour up the coastline to protect the coast path. The intention would be that the coast path moves back with the coast.

"Flooding and coastal erosion management funding is targeted to protect property rather than the coast path."