Seatown

The community

Seatown is a small settlement, located just under a mile south of Chideock village. There is a public house (The Anchor Inn), a small footbridge over the river running through the middle of the beach, a caravan park (Golden Cap Holiday Park) and car park. The beach is a shingle beach, lying just east of Golden Cap (the highest point on England's south coast).

Coastal defences

A land stabilisation project was installed at Seatown in 1997 in the form of rock armour to protect the Anchor Inn pub and private property from land instability caused by poor drainage and direct wave attack.

Draft Shoreline Management Plan 2: Policy and Implications

The short term policy is to continue to ‘Hold the Line' by maintaining the existing rock armour on the western side of Seatown to the end of its design life. The policy after this is ‘No Active Intervention' for the medium and long term (between 2030 - 2110).

This has potential knock-on effects to the public house, public toilets, car park, turning circle, private property and slipway. However as with many other areas along the Jurassic Coast, changes to the area will occur through a catastrophic storm event rather than gradual erosion processes.

Click here to find out more about the Shoreline Management Plan.

The Issues

A catastrophic storm event at Seatown may not happen for many decades, but could equally occur in the coming winter. Seatown is already the subject of ongoing discussion between local partners due to a variety of visitor management issues it faces.

There is a big issue surrounding car traffic in the area; with conflict between local Chideock residents opposing increased use of the main A35 road that runs through the village, and the large amount of through-traffic using this road as the main connection between eastern and western areas (e.g. Bridport and Lyme Regis).

Sea Hill Lane and Mill Lane are the only access roads leading down to Seatown from the A35 in Chideock. There is often conflict between local residents and tourists in these narrow lanes connecting Seatown to Chideock, with high levels of background traffic and illegal parking causing congestion and air quality problems.

Seatown falls within Dorset's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), meaning it is legally protected which could impose constraints on potential roll-back options. Roll-back is a relatively new option to explore when dealing with properties in vulnerable coastal locations. The option of roll-back needs to include all parties that have a stake in the land and cannot be dealt with independently. This may prove a very complicated process, given the complex pattern of land ownership in Seatown.

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Sidmouth

Location: Sidmouth lies on the East Devon coast between Branscombe and Budleigh Salterton. It has its own Town Council.
Population: Sidmouth has a population of approximately 14,400, of which 35% are above retirement age.
Designations: Sidmouth is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
Charmouth

Location: Charmouth lies on the West Dorset coast between Lyme Regis and Bridport (west of Seatown). It has its own Parish Council.
Population: The parish has a population of 1,300 in 850 residential houses (20% are second homes/holiday homes).
Designations: Charmouth is within Dorset's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
Seatown

Location: Seatown lies on the West Dorset coast between Lyme Regis and Bridport (east of Charmouth) and falls within Chideock Parish Council.
Population: The parish has a population of 600 with 36% being over retirement age. Of this population, there are 20 residential address points within Seatown.
Designations: The whole area falls within Dorset's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), with some areas designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The whole coast frontage is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
Preston Beach Road, Weymouth

Location: The Preston Beach Road is the main road (A353) connecting Weymouth to Overcombe and Preston. Preston is located North-East of Weymouth, between Broadwey and Osmington and falls within the Weymouth and Portland District Coucil.
Population: Preston has a population of approximately 5,000 with 2,450 residential properties.
Designations: Lodmoor Nature Reserve lies behind the Preston Beach Road and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Bowleaze Cove (north end of Preston Beach Road) is encompassed by a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
Ringstead

Location: Ringstead lies on the Dorset coast between Preston (near Weymouth) and Lulworth, on the boundary between Osmington Parish and Owermoigne Parish.
Population: 580 in Osmington Parish and 490 in Owermoigne Parish. There are 75 residential address points in Ringstead, half of which are caravans.
Designations: The whole area falls within Dorset's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), with the sea front designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
North Swanage

Location: Swanage is in The Purbeck, between Durlston and Studland. North Swanage lies North of the Swanage town centre and includes the Ulwell Road area. It lies within Swanage Town Council.
Population: North Swanage and the Ulwell area has a population of 1,640 with approximately 1000 residential properties.
Designations: The whole area falls within Dorset's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the coast designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

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