CLIFF FACE WORKS FOR STONE BAY

Work is due to be carried out to the cliff face at Stone Bay over the next few weeks, following a series of chalk falls in the last few months.

The emergency work is required, after the recent spell of cold and wet weather led to chalk falls that were more frequent and larger than any which have occurred in recent years. The work is currently out to tender and it is hoped that it will be completed in early May.

The work will see fencing that’s two metres tall being put up at the back of the promenade, just in front of the cliff face. The aim is to stop people entering this area, as previous chalk falls have included lumps of chalk that were the size of a small football.

As a result, the beach huts that are usually sited at Stone Bay at this time of the year cannot be put back until the work is completed. All beach hut owners have been contacted and offered refunds for this period.

Other options, such as putting netting on the cliff face to protect it, have been considered, but this would not be as effective. Usually, in cases like this, loose material would be removed from the chalk cliff and the angle of the cliff face altered to make it more shallow and less prone to falls, but at Stone Bay, there is no room to do this, because of the close proximity of the footpath at the top of the cliff.

Cllr. Roger Latchford, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, said: “It’s critical that we get this work done and as soon as possible. We’re doing everything we can to ensure that the work is out of the way before the main summer season begins. We can fully understand how annoying this may be for those who have beach huts at Stone Bay, but the most important thing is to keep people safe on our beaches. I’m sure everyone can understand that this could seriously injure someone and we just can’t take that risk.”