Royal HaskoningDHV’s predecessor designed Sidmouth’s current coastal protection scheme

Consultants with an ‘excellent’ track record for delivering coastal protection schemes have been selected for a project in Sidmouth.

Royal HaskoningDHV successfully tendered to conduct investigatory work for the town’s beach management plan, following evaluation by East Devon District Council (EDDC) and the Environment Agency.

It will carry out the outline design, which will include surveys of the seabed, sampling of the sediment, monitoring of currents and modelling.

The information accrued will help Royal HaskoningDHV produce an outline design for the scheme that will then need to be approved by the Environment Agency.

An EDDC spokeswoman said: “Royal HaskoningDHV’s predecessor undertook the design of the Sidmouth coast protection scheme in the 1990s and therefore they know the site well.

“They have recently successfully completed similar projects around the UK coast, including numerous projects in Devon and Cornwall for the Environment Agency, as well as coastal protection works at Borth and Lowestoft.

“Sidmouth’s beach management scheme will not be able to go ahead unless an estimated £3.3million of partnership funding can be sourced.

“If requisite funding is available, the earliest construction of a scheme on site is likely to be spring 2019.”

Surveying of the seabed and sediment sampling is being procured through Plymouth Coastal Observatory, which manages regular monitoring of the coastline around the South West.

EDDC chief executive Mark Williams said: “We’ve had an excellent response to our call for tenders for the next stage of this exciting project, and we’re delighted to be working with Royal HaskoningDHV, who have an excellent track record for delivering coastal protection schemes.”