Dawlish rail scheme will cause "significant harm"

But councillors recommended to approve it

Teignbridge district councillors are being recommended to approve the second phase of a £80m scheme to protect the railway line at Dawlish when they meet on Tuesday, despite them being told it will cause: "substantial harm ...[and] be detrimental to the appearance and character of Dawlish conservation area.” But Teignbridge District Council’s planning committee says that the survival and resilience of the railway line outweighs the harm the works would do to heritage assets. 

Network Rail's plans for the 415-metre section between coastguards and colonnade breakwaters includes a taller sea wall incorporating a high-level wider promenade with pedestrian access to the beach. A footbridge to link the two parts of the seawall and a new footbridge with lifts for the railway station are also included.

A planning officers' report to the council says: “This is a major development that would notably change the appearance of the area around the Grade II listed station and stretch of railway line to coastguards breakwater, particularly from the beachside of the railway. The design criteria of providing resilience for the railway line and station building for a period of 100 years has delivered a scheme that would increase the height of the sea wall by approx. 3.1 metres and change the low level promenade to a much higher level, physically separating it from its proximity to the sea.

“The new accessible lift bridge which would provide much improved access at the station but would be substantially taller than the existing buildings making it prominent in views across the northern part of the station. By reason of the scale and form of development it is evident that the proposal would have a negative impact on the amenity of the area.

“Having assessed the significance of the heritage assets and the effect of the proposal on these assets it is concluded that the development would result in substantial harm to the designated heritage assets and would also be detrimental to the appearance and character of Dawlish conservation area.”

But the report says that Network Rail has provided justification for this level of harm by explaining that the objective of the development is to provide resilience to the railway network which currently fails in extreme weather conditions for the next 100 years, how they reached the design solution for the development, and the alternative design solutions that were considered.

It adds: “By law, the conservation of heritage assets must be given great weight in the decision making process. However, national planning policy does allow for substantial harm to heritage assets where that harm is necessary to achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm.  From the information submitted in support of the application it is concluded that the design of the development is not capable of sufficient adjustment to avoid or significantly reduce the harm to heritage assets.

“There are considerable public benefits that would result from the development. A key economic benefit would be the continued operation of this stretch of the railway line that serves the south west of Devon and Cornwall. At the request of Dawlish Town Council £6 million would be spent on providing an accessible lift bridge

“The scale and extent of the proposed development would harm the historic and architectural character of this grade II listed building. The council’s conservation officer advises that this is one of the rare cases where there is a clear binary choice, between consent being given for an application, which will result in a mix of total loss, and substantial harm to a designated asset, but which has a greater public benefit. In this case the survival and resilience of the rail line in the face of climate crisis and sea-level rise

“The judgement on whether the public benefits outweigh the harm to designated heritage assets is a matter for the decision maker. It is officer’s opinion that in this case it does, particularly as the benefits are far greater than district level, although there are a few outstanding issues that need to be addressed by Network Rail which include the design and materials for the accessible lift bridge and detailing of the proposed wall adjacent to the station building.

“Officers conclude that on balance subject to the resolution of the external appearance of the accessible footbridge and the method of joining the new sea wall to the listed station building to the satisfaction of the business manager prior to determination, conditional Listed Building consent and the Prior Approval should be granted.”

Network Rail say that the new structure will provide greater protection from rising sea levels and extreme weather for generations to come, and help improve the long-term resilience of the line which links Devon and Cornwall to the rest of the UK.

The proposed scheme consists of a new taller seawall between the Station and Coastguards Breakwater with a recurve and a high-level promenade connecting the coastal path between Marine Parade and the section to Dawlish Warren.

A reconstructed Dawlish Water basin will reduce the wave energy and improve protection in the Colonnades area and also provide a new public space improving the experience of the public as they enter the seafront, while enhancements to Dawlish Station such as a new accessible bridge and reinstating a waiting room on platform 1 are made possible by the new sea wall, improving the travel experience of those with mobility issues, suitcases or young children.

Phase one of the Dawlish sea wall scheme, which has been completed, has seen at Marine Parade the wall raised from its current height of 5m to 7.5m, widen the walkway to 4m from its current 3.1m width, and include a barrier between the pedestrians and the edge of the to stop people falling off the wall.

Teignbridge District Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, August 18, will determine the fate of the phase two applications.