The £8.3 million scheme to reduce the risk of tidal flooding to 453 homes and businesses in Shaldon and Ringmore on the Teign Estuary in South Devon, was completed in May 2011.
It is the first example of Building Trust with Communities, the Environment Agency’s approach to public engagement.
The scheme - which includes a number of ground-breaking engineering techniques - was officially opened by Lord Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency, on 1 July 2011.
It includes 10 flood gates which are operated by the Parish Council and 40 volunteer flood wardens.
Shaldon and Ringmore are adjoining villages at the mouth of the Teign Estuary. The cottages and Georgian houses front the beach and foreshore with narrow lanes and alleyways. The local character comes from the obvious connections with the estuary, which also brings the extreme tidal flooding risk.
There is no recent history of flooding in Shaldon or Ringmore but there have been two recent near misses in October 2004 and March 2008.
The flood risk area is a ‘basin’ behind existing informal defences with a current standard of protection of 1 in 17, overtopping would quickly fill up the area. Before the defences were built 453 properties were at risk of flooding.
Work started in January 2010 when our contractors Interserve moved into Shaldon to begin construction by raising 940 metres of existing foreshore walls, building 470 metres of new foreshore wall, installing 10 floodgates and 25 flood windows and doors together with steps and ramps at specific locations. A pump station and outfall have also been included to resolve surface water issues.
Funding for the scheme came from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) through the South West Regional Flood Defence Committee.
The scheme won two national awards, a Silver Considerate Contractor Award for the considerate manner in which the works were carried out and an Environment Agency award for Exemplar Safety, Health and Environment Performance. Only four national awards of this level are awarded each year.
