General Discussion
Was listening BBC Radio Devon earlier on this morning and they were interviewing our MP, Anne Marie Morris.
AMM said that NR had contacted her to say that they (NR) are definitely looking at building a breakwater here. Design(s)/cost etc still to be decided.
AMM keen that the community should be involved in this and asked that people contact her if they have any ideas concerning the breakwater. She will pass on to NR and anyone else she thinks appropriate.
This would be the win-win for Dawlish, proper protection of railway and town and no competing alternate route. Just hope that if this becomes the only new infrastructure it is done well enough to push the sea far enough away from the tracks for electrification to be viable one day.
Come on Lynne she is looking for realection she knows she is likely to get her backside whooped by UKIP and will do anything and say anything to gain 10 or 20 votes. You noticed our great leader David Cameron wouldnt be drawn when interviewed on the station just a few hours ago his words "there will be a report due at the end of June we will then decide what to do to secure a rail link to the SW". In a months time all will be forgotten it will be old news our time will have passed old news is no news so if i where you Lynne dont bet money on it ever happening.
Yes I am very aware she is looking to be re-elected. But until NR's report is ready (June is the month NR is quoting) how can anyone in April make any comments on what the best course of action will be a la the NR report given that it won't be complete until two months time? That said I agree that there is some political foot shuffling going on. Lots of potential tory votes (and thus seats) in the south west. And what do the Tories want from the next general election? An overall majority that's what. And where can help them gain some more Tory seats? The south-west. So.......I disagree. I don't think this issue will go into the long grass. Not this side May 2015 at any rate.
And then.......if there is any sign of that happening after that time it will be up to us, the south west electorate, to keep the issue in the public domain.
By NRs own admission ('The One Show', Mike Gallop) the majority of the wall (new 200year 'concrete breach section' excepted) is liable to only being good for 4-10years. NR therefore know full well that something major HAS to be done and done soon to beat the clock.
To be fair to AMM, by 'involve the community' here's what she may be getting at. Breakwater solutions will not be a very pretty sight for a lot of people. A proper solution to tame the sea has with it the potention to be quite character changing to the coastline. Not to mention that all the nice little crabs and rock pools will potentially get buried under humungous amounts of rocks, concrete sand etc, etc. So be careful what you wish and like AMM says - get involved!!!
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~imw/Dawlish-Warren.htm
With respect to considerations of a 'breakwater' this link is very interesting. It gives quite an indepth study by Southampton Uni around 6years ago of the 'tradeoff battle' between wildlife and the status quo of the Warren vs natural replenishment from the Dawlish Beaches vs railway. The fundamental issue is longshore drift. This can be minimised by groynes but at the cost of areas to the north 9i.e. the Warren)no longer getting natural replenishment. Am wondering if the NR idea of a 'breakwater' is something much further out to sea to reduce wave action at base 1?
The Environment Agency has been accused of putting the needs of wildlife before those of humans in its management of storm-hit places like Dawlish in Devon.
Days before the recent winter storms, the agency is said to have told peers that it could not act to protect the railway line at Dawlish from the sea until it had studied the impact of any improvements on local birdlife.
The line at Dawlish was this week severely damaged by the surging sea amid winter storms, leaving much of Devon and Cornwall cut off from the rest of the country by rail.
Lord Berkeley was one of a group of peers who met Paul Leinster, the agency’s chief executive, on January 23.
The officials told the peers that they had plans to shore up the coastline at Dawlish, but would have to take into account the consequences for local birds.
The beaches and mudflats in the Dawlish area are a renowned haven for birdlife, home to 12,000 wading birds including oystercatchers and redshanks. Rare species including avocets and black-tailed godwits have also been sited.
In a letter to Baroness Kramer, the Transport Minister, the peers revealed that the agency said it had considered a plan to protect the line by “repopulating” the beach with sand, effectively moving back the coastline.
However, the agency said it would have to consider the impact on birdlife before intervening to shield the railway.
Don't get me wrong, I love birds. But this is one reason why AMM says locals have to be involved in the process. Otherwise you may have 'a solution' but not like it very much. e.g. acceleration of the loss of Dawlish Warren, loss of wildlife and/or golf course!!,, 'ugly' granite boulders creating impasses along the beach, general change in natural character and appearance of the shoreline....
David Finch has over 25 years’ experience in coastal and estuarine dynamics both at Wallingford and previously for a major UK consultant where he lead coastal process modelling for coastal and port work, including a year in Dubai. At Wallingford, David has been responsible for management of a wide range of coastal studies supporting both design and environmental impact assessments. He has considerable experience in application of numerical models, including hydrodynamic, wave and sediment transport models, and specification, analysis and interpretation of oceanographic data. He has a lot of experience working closely with clients to ensure that coastal process related issues are clearly identified, understood and addressed.
David is familiar with the particular problems of Dawlish and at Dawlish Warren, and he has recently met Anne-Marie Morris to discuss possible long-term options.
p.s. David is co-presenting a technical lecture on 8th May 6pm addressing Dawlish Seawall options. Will see if a video link is possible.
@Clive - david finch is presenting a technical lecture to whom and where on 8th may? and how do you know he has met with AMM? (just curious to know how you know that's all)
Fully booked though....and the main speaker, William Allsop, is a visiting Prof. at Southampton Uni. so will probably be very familiar with the contents of this document...
Extract from letter dated 1-4-14 from NR (Patrick Hallgate, Western Route Managing Director), Network Rail, to Newton Abbot MP, Anne Marie Morris.
“With respect to the future improvement in resilience of the railway between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot my Route Asset Management Team is currently commissioning a major engineering feasibility study. This study has been initiated by the Route to assess a series of options to increase geo-environmental resilience between Exeter St. Davids and Newton Abbot. A range of potential engineering solutions are available including raising wall height, construction of toe revetments and the installation of an offshore breakwater. The geomorphology of the coastline along with the railway line between Exeter and Newton Abbot runs results in the project being divided into four discrete but linked study elements. Namely:
Exeter St Davids – Dawlish Warren – Objective – resilience interventions to manage estuarine and river flooding.
Dawlish Warren – Kennaway Tunnel – Objective – resilience interventions to manage coastal erosion (primary) and cliff stability (secondary).
Kennaway Tunnel – Teignmouth – Objective – resilience interventions to manage sea cliff stability and coastal erosion.
Teignmouth - Newton Abbot – Objective – resilience interventions to manage estuarine and river flooding.
Each of the above elements will generate differing, but linked infrastructure resilience options that will require assessment, review and cost estimation against the benefits arising. A present Network Rail has no formal cost estimates of the works required.
It is estimated that the study will require around 18 months to complete. Following this, Network Rail will identify the preferred engineering solution with each study element and then work to secure funding to deliver the works required. It is probably that funding to deliver the whole range of resilience works required will be sought over several Regulatory Control periods and that phasing of the works will be concentrated on the areas of highest risk.
We have also launched a wider study looking at the impact of the resilience issues of the route between Exeter and Plymouth. This study will provide an early indication of the viability of additional/alternative route alignments (including the Tavistock line that you reference) and this, combined with inputs from the study referenced above and analysis of the potential socio-economic impacts on the South West of rail service resilience, will help generate an options report due to be published in late June 2014. We have set up a study management group to control this work and source the necessary data, with representatives from local authorities, local enterprise partnerships, train operating companies and the Department for Transport all invited to participate. The remit for this piece of work is published on our website at: www.networkrail.co.uk/Long-Term-Planning-Process
I trust the above adequately responds to the issues raised in your letter”.