Work agreed to stop cliff erosion and save homes in Weymouth
It will stabilise land on a housing site off Old Castle Road.
Land stabilisation works to stop cliff erosion on a housing site off Old Castle Road, Weymouth have been approved by Dorset Council.
The authority say the works may be harmful to nature and a Site of Special Scientific Interest but are essential and need to go ahead to avoid cutting off around 90 homes and the Castle Cove Sailing Club.
The council will pay for part of the project which is expected to be cheaper than diverting the road, its other option.
The works will include adding gabions and stone boulders from the beachfront up the slope with stone filled drains and piling to support the three homes which already have planning permission.
The council say work is needed to stabilise the lower part of the slope which has already suffered from landslip and erosion before progress can be made on the upper part of the slope to build the houses and stabilise Old Castle Road.
Part of the costs will be met by Dorset Council to avoid it having to find extra cash to protect the road. Its diversion option for Old Castle Road would have crossed the Rodwell Trail, which is popular with walkers and cyclists.
The proposals to stabilise the land has been welcomed by Keith Tranter, chair of the Old Castle Road Residents’ Association and Steve Munz from Castle Cove Sailing Club.
Steve Elsworth from the Friends of Castle Cove Beach has questioned whether the gabions planned at the beach end could end up being too high, dominating the beach. He says the group do not oppose the proposal but would like several technical points clarified to ensure the works have the minimum possible effect on the beach which, he says, is enjoyed by around 100,000 people a year.
The proposal for the geotechnical works is over a 2,000 square metre site between 23 and 27 Old Castle Road and will protect the site of three detached homes which were granted planning permission in September 2017.
Each of the homes is designed to have three floors, but due to the slope of the land towards Castle Cove beach, would only appear as single storey along Old Castle Road.
The site had previously been used as a garden with a summer house on its northern boundary.
The application had been made by a Winchester company on behalf of applicant Jason Craig.
The works have been designed by Remedy Geotechnics which recommends deep piling, with anchor points, to protect the three homes from movement.
At the time of the original application for the three homes there were a number of objections, including from Weymouth Civic Society, which said it had ‘serious concerns’ about the stability of the site.