Plans to strengthen coast and flood defences

A council is set to review three major proposals aimed at strengthening the county's resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.

Dorset Council will decide whether to join a new South West Flood and Coastal (SWFaC) shared service, progress a coastal protection scheme for Swanage, and move forward with further repairs to West Bay's harbour walls.

The council says the measures would help protect communities, infrastructure and the local economy amid increasingly severe weather.

Councillor Jon Andrews, Cabinet member for Place, said Dorset was already experiencing "more frequent and more intense weather events".

He added: "We must act decisively to protect our residents, our economy and our coastline," he said.

"By strengthening our flood and coastal services and progressing schemes like the Swanage coastal protection project and West Bay harbour walls, we are investing in long‑term resilience for the whole county."

The local authority is considering joining the SWFaC partnership to gain greater specialist support and boost its chances of securing national Grant-in-Aid funding.

The move would see the council's flood risk team transfer into a new shared service, following a year of heavy rainfall, high river levels and widespread flooding.

Cabinet members will also review plans for a major coastal defence scheme in Swanage, which would see it bid for £4m in government funding and commit £190,000 of council funding.

Proposals include replenishing the beach, installing a new rock groyne and strengthening the seawall, which could fail by 2029 without intervention.

The council says more than 110 homes, key infrastructure and the local visitor economy would be protected, with work starting in 2028 if approved.

In West Bay, phase one repairs to the harbour walls are complete, and councillors will decide whether to press ahead with phase two, designed to restore the strength of two harbour walls and reinstate their flood-defence function.

They will also consider further investigations into council‑owned buildings on the harbour affected by ground movement.