Vale coastal footpath could be moved inland

The amount of erosion in the La Fontenelle Bay area has been highlighted by the Vale Commons Council and raised with the Environment & Infrastructure Committee.

The council has produced images of the damage which indicate that up to 15 metres of coastline have been lost to the sea since the Second World War.

Concerns over the ‘worrying’ amount of erosion have been shared with the Vale douzaine and in a letter to parish deputy Sarah Hansmann Rouxel, who is a member of E&I.

This was shared with the rest of her committee, who agreed unanimously that no action should be taken to protect the coastline from further erosion.

‘As you will no doubt be aware, the coastal defence work undertaken on behalf of the island is led by expert analysis which assesses the risk of erosion and the potential impact on vital features such as housing, roads and services due to the loss of land and the ingress of the sea,’ wrote the committee’s president, Barry Brehaut.

‘This work is underpinned by regular monitoring by local coastal engineering staff and staff from Land Management Services.

‘The area in question was considered as part of coastal studies covering the whole island and these were last reviewed in 2009 by the company Royal Haskoning.’

These studies concluded that ‘providing a more secure protection would substantially increase the size of the structure’.

‘This would require significant investment which would outweigh the benefits of protecting the footpath, according to Royal Haskoning.

‘The eroding cliffs can be seen to provide a limited supply of shingle which acts to replenish the natural shingle bank. Continued and increasing protection of this eroding face would lead to this supply to the natural defence being cut off. This would, in turn, reduce the capacity of the shingle bank to perform. The introduction of further protection to the frontage is therefore seen as unsustainable,’ it concluded.

Deputy Brehaut said his committee had contacted Environment Guernsey about the suitability of a ‘natural defence adjustment’.

‘However, a new installation of rock armour would, as described by Royal Haskoning, limit the future release of shingle to replenish the important shingle bank to the east,’ he said.

‘Ongoing repairs and, inevitably, increased quantities of rock armour to either side of the defence would be necessary as the sea was deflected from the hard edge of the rock armour towards the soft bank.’

He said it was ‘inevitable’ that some areas of land would be reclaimed by the sea as a result of climate change.

Members felt that consideration should be given [instead] to making an alteration to the coastal path, in view of the current proximity of the sea and the presence of adequate areas to the south to take a new route.

Deputy Brehaut’s committee will liaise with the Vale Commons Council on the matter.

There are five coastal areas in the Vale which have been prioritised for rock armour repairs this year.

Upwards of £40,000 is set to be spent on rock armour between Les Amarreurs and Vale Church, and at Banque Imbert, which is in the vicinity of the kiosk opposite Vale Castle.

The area of Chouet by the Torrey Canyon quarry (£12,000), the Ladies’ Bay end of Chouet (£5,000) and the southern end of L’Islet (£2,000) have also been earmarked for repairs.

Deputy Brehaut said the defence structures at La Miellette and the coastal boundary of the Bordeaux Nature Trail also have to be prioritised over La Fontenelle.