APPROVAL is expected this week for flood defence work at West Bay.

It will see repairs and strengthening to the western groyne at West Beach and raising the height of the promenade wall to the northern side of the road.

At East Beach the works will add rock protection to the beach bund and construct a new timber boardwalk. Extra protection measures will be built along the existing embankment at the Parkdean caravan park, including a steel-sheet piled wall on the landward side of the existing embankment.

West Dorset planners, who meet in Dorchester on Thursday (17), are being recommended to approve the Environment Agency scheme.

The Agency say their works: “will better protect the town from major coastal and fluvial flooding incidents and help prevent the costly disruption caused by periods of extended bad weather, such as those experienced in the winters of 2013/14 and 2015/16.”

But some doubt that the scheme will work.

Symondsbury Parish Council has objected to the new defence work until more is understood about the process of moving pebbles and shingles along the Chesil Beach.

It says the scheme fails to acknowledge that long shore drift of shingle is being interrupted by existing defence works: “It advises that the present groynes and harbour mouth jutting out into the sea at West Bay interrupt the flow of shingle from the LD process. This has caused an excess of shingle to build up on the east side of the harbour; and for wave action to denude the shingle on the beach on the west side leading to the removal of what shingle there was and erosion of the cliffs at Eype. It notes that previous anti-erosion schemes have failed to alleviate this problem.

“The current proposals in the application have failed to take account of the long term changes that have occurred as a result of previous development that has altered the natural processes of beach regeneration and is therefore contrary to both national guidance and the policies in the Local Plan.”

The point is partially conceded in an officer summary to councillors with one paragraph stating:” The development will result in changes to the appearance of the East and

West Beaches, in particular the East beach which does not benefit from the process of Longshore Drift in terms of pebble replenishment. The evidence is clear in this respect. The only way to deal with this aspect would be to remove the harbour walls and let the sea and wave action take its course.

“As this does not form part of the application, indeed, the application seeks to protect the settlement of West Bay from flooding, any works proposed are a compromise in respect of flood protection for West Bay vs. visual impact on the character and appearance of the Jurassic Coast.”

Bridport Town Council has welcomed the scheme but has asked that the steel sheet wall at Parkdean should be masked with natural materials.

West Bay Community Forum welcome the proposed works but say they are concerned about noise, dust and disturbance and ask for the works to be carried out 'within reasonable limits.'