The UK Environment Agency has secured the consents and licences needed to begin construction of a £19.8 million ($26.3 million) coastal defence scheme at Torcross in Devon, England, with the first barge delivery of rock expected next week, subject to weather.
Kier Infrastructure has been appointed to deliver the works. These include placing almost 90,000 tonnes of rock armour along the frontage to reduce wave energy reaching the shoreline, reinstating damaged defences at the car park and extending the slipway.
The agency said that slightly less than 60,000 tonnes of rock will come by sea, while a further 30,000 tonnes of smaller material will be moved by road.
Shipments of rock are scheduled from mid-October to early December, while road deliveries are set to continue until the end of January 2027. Installation of the rock armour is scheduled to take place from October to April.
In spring 2027, work is planned on the slipway extension and sheet piling at the car park, with completion expected in early summer.
The Marine Management Organisation and the Local Planning Authority granted consents after consultation with stakeholders, including Natural England. The site lies within the Slapton Ley Site of Special Scientific Interest and close to the Skerries Banks and Surrounds Marine Conservation Zone.
Storms in January and February 2026 damaged the village's defences and washed away a section of the A379 road between Torcross and Slapton. Repair of the road is a separate project led by Devon County Council.
The rock armour has a design life to 2060, allowing for a possible three-metre fall in average beach levels.
