Dawlish sea wall approved despite objections

Plans for a new sea wall in Dawlish have been approved. Credit: ITV News West Country

Major plans for a new sea wall at Dawlish have been approved - despite local objections.

Network Rail’s long-awaited plans to improve the sea wall, which will improve the long-term resilience of the railway linking Devon and Cornwall with the rest of the UK, were unanimously approved by Teignbridge District Council’s planning committee on Tuesday (April 16).

The £30million scheme will raise the wall from its current height of 5m to 7.5m, widen the walkway to from its current 3.1m width to 4m and include a barrier between the pedestrians and the edge of the to stop people falling off the wall.

The sea wall was destroyed by storms in 2014. Credit: PA

The improved design is also set to prevent stormy conditions from damaging the railway at Dawlish, which happened in 2014.

There had been concerns that the height of the new sea wall will “destroy Dawlish’s charm and stop people visiting the town” - but the committee agreed that the future of the railway line was paramount.