Case study:South Milton Sands

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Location: 50° 15' 23.03" N, 3° 51' 24.23" W

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Project overview

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Status	Complete
Project web site	http://www.therrc.co.uk/sites/default/files/projects/60_southmiltonsands.pdf
Themes	Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Monitoring, Social benefits
Country	England
Main contact forename	Richard
Main contact surname	Snow
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation	National Trust
Contact organisation web site	http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Partner organisations	South Hams District Council, Plymouth Council, Plymouth Coastal Observatory
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

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Project summary

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Between 2003 and 2009, the National Trust restored South Milton Sands in Devon (Photo 1 and Map 1), a heavily used 4ha sand dune site with a small beach, a café and extensive car parking. The wooden piling defences constructed in 1990 were at the end of their lifespan and thought unsustainable given the erosion at the site. The designed scheme removed the failing defences and reprofiled the dunes, which allowed the dunes to erode and build according to natural processes. Once groundwork was completed, local people helped plant the marram grass on the dunes. Following consultation, the National Trust agreed to maintain a small area of defence to an existing slipway for a 10-year period. The project was viewed as a success. A storm on 14 February 2014 eroded about 15m of the sand dunes and lowered beach levels by some 2m. The southern end of the access track and the slipway were undermined. Boardwalks to access the beach were broken. The dune ridge was overtopped but did not breach. However the loss of two-thirds of the dune ridge (including the area reinstated and revegetated in 2009) made the frontage highly vulnerable to breach in a future storm. The National Trust has reinstated the access road and slipway, but the dunes cannot be sustained in their current location. The 20-year erosion line in the Shoreline Management Plan passes through the car park and close to the café. Sea level rise and increased storminess will make the existing defence line unsustainable. National Trust wants a way forward that is sustainable and works with natural processes in accordance with its Shifting Shores policy. The current car park and access road are unsustainable in the long term and alternatives will be investigated. These need to be the subject of public engagement and the National Trust intends to consider the options. The dunes might be sustainable in a more landward location. The future of the wetland and associated outfall also needs to be considered. If the outfall is removed, water levels will likely increase and water will find its own route to the beach, either by percolation or a (seasonal) surface channel through (rolled back) dunes. This approach could create a mosaic of dune and wetland habitat.

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Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Site Edit site Name WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Invasive species present Species of interest Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started 2003 Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) £10k"£" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property. Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources National Trust Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Flood and coastal erosion protection Hydromorphology Biology Physico-chemical Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Planform / Channel pattern Other Sand dune restoration Non-structural measures Management interventions Social measures (incl. engagement) Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information