Plans to improve Dawlish sea wall

This is what the new Dawlish sea wall may look like

The scheme will inlcude a barrier between the pedestrians and the edge of the to stop people falling off the wall.

Network Rail has submitted its long awaited plans to improve the sea wall, which will improve the long-term resilience of the railway linking Devon and Cornwall to the rest of the UK, to Teignbridge District Council.

The plans have been submitted for ‘prior approval’ under Network Rail’s permitted development rights.

Councillor Humphrey Clemens, Teignbridge District Council’s Executive Member for Planning, said: “A ‘Prior Approval’ is much like a normal planning application and will follow a very similar process, which includes our target to make a decision within eight weeks. For this type of application we can only consider whether the design or external appearance would impact the the amenity of the neighbourhood and is reasonably capable of modification to avoid such impact.

“The application has only just come in and whilst we have been involved in discussion with Network Rail and other partners for some time, we have not had a chance to review the detail. We will be looking closely at the details of this application but in principle certainly welcome these enhancements and rail resilience improvements the scheme can deliver.”

A Network Rail spokesman added: “The new sea wall will provide far more protection from waves and extreme weather and is future-proofed to protect the railway and the town, taking into account predicted rising sea levels. The local community will also benefit from a wider, safer promenade which retains the views of the coast – a feature that the area is famous for.”