Brixham to get a tide bell

It will be rung by the tide going in and out

Volunteers have been raising funds to install the £20,000 Time and Tide bell which has been given to the town in a national scheme to set up a series around the coast.

The working group behind the project will now apply for a licence to the Marine Management Organisation, which controls coastal developments.

Seven of the bells have already been installed around the country, with the first at Appledore in North Devon.

Councillors were told the bronze bell would be fitted in a sturdy frame of steel and Dartmoor oak made by local contractors.

It will be attached to rocks on the shoreline at Breakwater Beach.

A spokeswoman for the local group said the bell would be rung by a clapper moved by the tide.

The structure would normally be visible, but a flag would be attached if it was totally submerged at extreme high tides to alert people that it was there.

Councillors approved the scheme, with a condition that it should be removed if it stops working, becomes unsafe or is damaged beyond repair.

A report to the council’s planning committee said: “Due to the nature of the proposal and its location, it will have varying degrees of visibility depending on the level of the tide. 

“As the tide comes in the installation will be slightly obscured and partially covered by the sea.

“The proposed materials are of significant robust quality that are considered to be appropriate for the marine location.

“To ensure the installation does not become unsightly should it no longer be in use, a planning condition will be employed to secure its removal in a timely manner.”

The national project was the idea of Devon artist Marcus Vergette. Another bell is proposed at Par in Cornwall.