The Beach, Carlyon Bay, Cornwall

When Ampersand bought the site, planning permission already existed for a sea wall. Following meetings with HR Wallingford and the Environment Agency, it was agreed there could be a better solution. The design for the new sea defences was discussed with the Environment Agency between March 2003 and May 2005 with the aim of accommodating their requirements and keeping them appraised of what Ampersand was planning, to avoid any objections at a later date.

The key benefits of the new sea defences are:

Public access to the beach and promenade will be legally guaranteed forever with a Section 106 Agreement.
Meet the Government's guidelines for 1:200 year storm protection levels and also take into account the latest figures in sea level rises making them amongst the best in the country.
Legal agreement for Ampersand to accept full responsibility for the maintenance of the proposed sea defences.
Set of legally binding management protocols for the ongoing maintenance and management of the beaches (Beach Management Manual) in line with the best practice for such schemes.
The public purse will be protected due to financial assurances including a £3 million fund to enable RBC to "step in" to the maintenance of the proposed sea defences in the event of default by Ampersand.
Wider promenade will include a series of welcoming promontories with cobbled areas creating additional areas for public seating and viewing.
Much better facilities for the disabled including wheelchair ramps down to the beach.
Improved access for families with pushchairs and the elderly.
Storm warning system linked to the Met Office.
The visual appearance of the beach will be further improved with unsightly rock armour hidden from view under sand and a more elegant recurve wall design.

At Restormel Borough Council's Planning Committee on 1 June 2005, councillors unanimously voted to grant planning permission for the improved sea defences proposal subject to the completion of a Section 106 Agreement. Councillors voted in favour of the proposal following a four-hour discussion including presentations by Ampersand and local supporters and objectors to the scheme. However, in January 2006, the Government decided it wanted to ‘call in’ the application for a public inquiry.

Public Inquiry Update - click here.

Restormel Borough Council planners have paid full and in-depth consideration to the issues arising from the proposal and the views expressed by consultees including the Environment Agency, English Nature, the County Council and the local community. The 52-page report to the Council's Development Control Committee concludes:

Click here to view a copy of the Restormel Borough Council Committee report (3.8MB).

We also have an 11-minute video that shows and describes the new Seawall and Beach Replenishment plans. This is available to view or download in two formats:

Windows Media Video (15.5 MB) - Download
Quicktime (18.5 MB) – Download

Our new planning application for upgraded sea defences at The Beach development, Carlyon Bay, was submitted to Restormel Borough Council as part of the plans for the £200 million seaside holiday resort.

The application was supported by a number of comprehensive reports including an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) prepared by leading sea defence experts and independent environmental consultants.

The FRA also incorporates a Beach Management Manual which sets out the obligations of Ampersand with regard to the ongoing maintenance of the beach itself to ensure the long term integrity of the sea defences.

The new sea defences will result in the provision of top quality seaside facilities including a large area of beach which will be fully accessible to the general public.

Beach extended seawards by 16 metres
The new improved defences are designed to meet all the current Government's latest recommendations including a 1:200 year standard of protection. This will provide a level of protection which is better than those of many established British seaside towns and cities.

The defences include a reinforced recurved sea wall with a promenade; rock placement at the toe of the sea wall and sand replenishment which would cover the rock armour and extend the beach horizontally outwards by an average of 16 metres.

Take a look!
Take a look at the proposed features along the promenade by clicking on the pictures below.


Promontory	Esplanade

Landscape 1	Landscape 2

Landscape 3

Designed to the highest of standards
Our plans are designed to the highest of standards applicable in the UK today and have been subjected to rigorous testing over a period of more than two years by HR Wallingford, one of the world's leading experts in this field, supported by a team of professional engineers and architects.

The testing and design was carried out in liaison with the Environment Agency and satisfies their criteria for new sea defences in the current era.


Approved Sea Defences Section	Proposed Sea Defences Section

The existing planning permission for the site, which was granted in 1990, includes a sea defence system which, if necessary, allows us to complete the development.

Facilities which benefit everyone
The new proposals provide facilities which benefit everyone - our buyers, visitors and local people - and will satisfy those potential critics who maintain that our original proposals are not up to current best practice.

This updated scheme will also result in a Section 106 Agreement being entered into with Restormel Borough Council which, amongst other things, will legally guarantee public access to the beach and promenade. This is an obligation which isn't included in the original application but we have always been committed to allowing public access and believe that this demonstrates once again that we stick to our word.

Facilities for the disabled are another benefit not included in the original scheme, including access from the promenade down to the beach via wheelchair ramps. This will also make it much easier for families with pushchairs.

Attractive landscaped gardens for public to relax in
Other elements of the promenade include a series of promontories which create areas for seating and viewing together with access steps and ramps.

The promenade itself will be a minimum of 7m wide and surfaced using high quality granite paving with areas of cobbles in front of attractive landscaped gardens to create a stylish environment for public use.

Our sea defences will be among the very best in the country
Ampersand believes that the sea defences will be among the very best in the country, let alone Cornwall, which, has always experienced fierce storms.

In October 2004, Ampersand's temporary sea defences held up very well against some extremely severe storm conditions whilst other parts of the south west suffered immense damage to their permanent structures.

Storm warnings
As part of the sea defences proposal a real-time weather warning system will be established which will be linked to the Met Office. This will provide detailed information about predicted weather conditions in the area and therefore enable protective measures to be put in place if weather conditions are predicted to be severe. This service will be superior to any currently available at other neighbouring coastal locations.

Beach maintenance
A Beach Management Manual has been agreed with the Environment Agency with which the owners of the resort will be required to adhere. In order to ensure that the sea defences are sufficiently maintained to meet the 1:200 year storm event requirement, the Manual requires regular inspections of the defences and beach surveys to ensure the plan form and profile of the beach is maintained. A £3 million fund has been secured through the section 106 agreement to cover any circumstances should Ampersand, or its successors in title, not discharge the requirements of the Management Manual.

Ampersand's commitments
Ampersand has a number of commitments in the event that planning permission for the new sea defences is granted. These are to be set out in a section 106 legal agreement which will come into place only when planning permission is issued. These are:

Enabling public access to the beach during the construction period and after completion of the development.
Maintaining the beach in accordance with a Beach Management Manual.
Comply with a Construction Code of Practice that will include the construction and vehicle routing.
Providing a £3 million fund for Restormel Borough Council to draw from in the event that Ampersand - or its successors in title - do not meet their obligations.
It is also currently improving the junction between Par Moor Road and Cypress Avenue at its own expense.

Planning documentation