What is the future of vulnerable but vital Slapton Line?

Millions of pounds have already been spent protecting the road

The General Sherman tank is a reminder that Slapton Line has seen its fair share of action over the years.

But with memories of American soldiers descending on the South Devon village for their D-Day rehearsal named Exercise Tiger increasingly fading into the past, the area’s latest front is against storm-force weather.

This month, Mother Nature revealed the extent of her powers again, battering homes in Torcross and once again dealing multiple hammer blows to the A379 road that is referred to as the Slapton Line.

While the road’s surface appears intact this time, damage has occurred to existing flood defences adjacent to part of the road, and there are stretches where foundations have been washed away.

These problems can be fixed, but Storm Ingrid has reignited the debate about the long-term future of the picturesque road.

Waves of cash

Millions of pounds have been spent in the past decade alone carrying out repair work to Slapton Line.

Figures from the Slapton Line Partnership add up to nearly £4.8 million when considering preparatory planning work from 2006-2018, realignment of a 700 metre section following Storm Emma in 2018, and work in 2019 aimed at improving other inland routes in case the A379 had to be permanently shut.

But that doesn’t appear to cover the cost of repairing the significant damage that happened in 2001, when an easterly storm resulted in a section of road being washed away. While it was fully reopened 12 months later, a total of 300 metres of the road had been ‘retreated’ – put back by 20 metres.

A specific figure for that repair remains elusive, but would likely add a chunky sum to the cash spent between 2006-2019, and obviously doesn’t include any money spent this time around.

The idea of moving sections of the road back inland carried weight for a while, until the challenges of such a policy were recognised.

Not only would it likely become more challenging to secure funding to move the road inland, the stretch of highway abuts a significant protected landscape that has nationally recognised designations over it.

That means even if the cash could be secured, some portions of the road simply can’t be moved inland because of their proximity to protected areas, including the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the idea of taking away parking spaces in the village to accommodate the road – or moving the aforementioned General Sherman tank – was also deemed unpopular.

That means the main thrust of policy now rests on ensuring sea defences are maintained to help protect the road, something that will be important to those who view the stretch as vital.

Crucial link

Data from 2014 shows the road attracted 288,000 adult visitors each year with an estimated spend worth more than £9 million per year.

That’s vital cash the area’s businesses won’t want to see disappear.

South Hams Chamber, which represents local businesses in the area, has Torcross pictured on its home page.

In a message to its members, it said “we know just how important this route is for local businesses, communities, and tourism across the South Hams”.

“The ongoing disruption and longer-term future of the Line remain a real concern for many,” it said.

It then urged any business impacted by the recent storms or previous closures to let the Chamber know to “help us build a clearer picture and strengthen how we represent business interests locally”.

And a petition on Change.org, which appears to be around a year old and launched by Ralph Clark, the current chair of Strete Parish Council, garnered more than 2,000 signatures on the basis that “more than 4,000 residents in South Hams depend on the A379 Slapton Line as a crucial infrastructure route for our daily activities”.

“Each time the road gets closed due to storm damage, the result is chaos as the alternative inland routes prove to be unsuitable for road users especially farm vehicles, buses and heavy goods vehicles,” the petition states.

“The majority are single carriageway with limited passing bays. A particular case that comes to mind and probably yours, was the breach in 2018.

“While there have been attempts to protect our crucial route, these efforts have been understandably hampered by budget constraints. However, this is not, and should not, be the end of our fight.

“Now, we, the residents who depend on this road, call upon the government to provide adequate funding to protect the A379 Slapton Line.

“We cannot wait for another breach to occur, for more chaos to ensue while budgetary issues are deliberated. We insist on proactive measures to protect our means of connection to the outside world.”

Future resilience

While some might debate how proactive the measures to protect the road have been, there has certainly been a hive of activity to rectify the situation this time.

Boulders have been brought in from Cornwall, while machinery has been used to repatriate the shingle, stones and rocks that have been washed onto the road back home to the beach.

Plus a request for funding from the government, all within a week.

Nevertheless, while the efforts are welcomed, the future of the Line – which at the time of writing was still closed – remains an emotional, and at times divisive, topic.

The Start Bay Inn, a thatched pub in Torcross, posted on Facebook that it was pleased with the quick action this time, but hoped for progress on plans for the future.

“We are ever so grateful that work has started so quickly, but we are hoping that a bigger prevention plan, that we’ve been asking for for 20-plus years, will finally be put in place,” the pub’s post said.

Councillor Laurel Lawford (Liberal Democrat, Allington and Strete) who sits on South Hams District Council, says feelings run strong in the communities that rely on the Line.

“I understand the desire and importance of keeping the Line open, but I think it could be sensible to simultaneously have a robust adaptation plan in place,” she said.

“I see first-hand how it affects people when the Line is out of action, and understand how important it is for residents in terms of being able to get their children to school, to work, or to the doctor’s.”

Cllr Lawford added that there were efforts among the communities to help inform an adaptation plan, which essentially considers what could be done if the Line was permanently closed.

“There is an interactive map and the locals are using that to highlight where issues are,” she said.

“When some of the back road routes were suggested by Devon County Council, we knew they weren’t viable because of that local knowledge, and the county council has taken that onboard now.”

She added that she felt every effort should still be made to secure funding for sea defences, but that this didn’t have to be at the expense of curating the adaptation plan.

Councillor Julian Brazil (Liberal Democrat, Kingsbridge), the leader of Devon County Council whose division covers Slapton, has written to the Environment Secretary to lobby for support for the Slapton Line clean-up, as well as other infrastructure issues in the county.

“The letter is requesting money for the clean-up, and then more investment for infrastructure, not only for the Slapton Line but for things like the railway line at Dawlish too,” Cllr Brazil said.

“We need more resilience.”

He said Cornish granite boulders had been delivered to the Torcross area to shore up the “most vulnerable bits of the Line”, a measure which had been enacted quickly.

While it’s an encouraging and very visual sign of action now, repairs from the most recent storms still need to be actioned and the costs totalled up.

How much the government will be willing to bolster local coffers for its efforts remains unclear, but the outcome could be an indication of future help if, or as some think, when, the Line is damaged again.