Holiday park losing trade after landslip

Reopening date unknown

A Devon holiday park that had to temporarily close after a landslip along an iconic walking route that weaves through its business has said it is waiting for experts to visit the area.

The Sea Shanty Holiday Park has said it is temporarily closed and is awaiting a geologist report after a landslip on the South West Coast Path.

That walking route passes directly through the holiday park, meaning that for safety reasons the site has had to close temporarily.

The business, which has been family-run for more than 50 years, has eight luxury lodges as well as static caravans and chalets which are privately owned.

The company’s website describes its lodges as “nestled in the cliff overlooking Branscombe Beach”, which is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

A section of the path has collapsed, resulting in the closure. It is not clear how long the temporary closure will last.

The path on the eastern section of Branscombe Beach subsided on March 9, rendering both the path and the beach below inaccessible and forcing the closure of the holiday park.

Beer Parish Council has advised that the initial closure, which was implemented the day after the cliff fall, will last for 21 days immediately followed by another 21-day closure until April 20. Following this, the council expects another six-month closure.

Diversion routes are in place so local walkers can safely bypass the subsided section, however.

On the National Trust’s page on Branscombe, it shows a warning, which states: “There have been several cliff falls along the eastern section of Branscombe beach. We strongly advise against walking along this section of the beach.”

Devon County Council has activated a temporary traffic regulation order at the top of the cliff to prevent further damage or danger to the public, but disruption could be ongoing into summer and beyond on this section of Devon’s Jurassic Coast.

The update from the Sea Shanty park comes as contractors were dealing with fallen rocks at nearby Beer, and adding netting to the cliffs above Ducky’s cafe, according to the Beer village Facebook page.

That work also involved work on some of the beach huts in that location, replacing rotten timbers, and even moving some to do so in some cases.

More widely, East Devon District Council is fighting a range of other cliff-related problems and coastal issues.

In Sidmouth, residents and visitors have been urged to put their safety first and strictly follow path closures in place along Sidmouth seafront as essential cliff works continues.

A recent cliff inspection identified a large crack in a wall above the Millenium Way walkway, with a cobblestone wall behind it now having a worsened crack that needs fixing.

The path below has been closed to protect the public from the risk of any failure or falls while the council investigates potential remedial action.

The undercliff/Millennium Walkway remain closed from Jacob’s Ladder to the beach access steps near the offshore breakwaters until further notice.

In addition, a section of the cliff-top path within Connaught Gardens, near the Glasshouse, is also closed for safety reasons.

Councillor Geoff Jung, East Devon District Council’s portfolio holder for environment operations, said: “Public safety has to come first.

“We know how frustrating these closures can be, but the risks along this stretch of the Jurassic Coast are very real.

“We’ve seen many cliff falls in recent months and years, and even areas that look stable can give way without warning. Please follow the signage, stick to the safe routes, and help us keep everyone out of harm’s way while we work quickly to assess the situation.”