Extra £1.5 million to be spent on Holland-on-Sea cliff repairs
Around 200 metres of cliff face has slipped since February 2020
An extra £1.5 million will be spend on cliff repairs in Holland-on-Sea.
Councillors backed the additional money, bringing the total to be spent to £2.1 million, at a full council meeting on 27 April.
The total agreed is less than the original estimate, which was £4 million.
It will be used to repair around 200 metres of cliff face across three sections of the seafront which have slipped since February 2020.
According to Tendring District Council (TDC), officers have been instructed to seek external funding to support the works, but the council has decided to fund them due to the urgency of the situation.
It has also been suggested council officers make representations to the Government to help local authorities with similar issues in the long-term.
TDC is using the beach recharge reserve to fund the repairs, which was set aside after the creation of new beaches in 2015 to fund future sand replenishment.
Carlo Guglielmi, TDC's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said:
"Doing nothing is not an option here, while maintaining and improving our seafronts is a key part of our emerging Tourism Strategy and vital for our local economy.
"This is a considerable sum of money, and not a decision we take lightly, but acting now will save us much higher costs in the long-term and so it is prudent to act now.
"That is why Cabinet backed this proposal and will now, with the approval of full council, progress this project."
The stretch in need of repair is different to the area which was stabilised as part of a £5 million scheme in 2018-19.
According to TDC, if left unchecked the cliffs risk further collapse which could lead to the loss of both the upper and lower promenades, sewer systems and the seafront road.
In addition to stabilising the cliffs, provision could be made for an additional 30 new beach huts.