Budleigh Salterton is a beautiful seaside town in Devon with a 2 mile pebble beach. There are birdwatching opportunities, literary and music festivals and independent shops to explore. It is the perfect place to go on long walks with family in the stunning nature scenery, including an estuary and floodplains.

 

However, there will be a change to this scenery because recently a  £15 million scheme to restore the floodplains has been approved. This aims to convert the area back to its more natural form without certain coastal defences such as embankments, which are expensive and they reduce biodiversity.  In addition to this, due to climate change, experts predict that increased, more frequent flooding would break these embankments soon, and further increase the cost to maintain them. The plan details there will be a breach of the embankments so that at high tide, the floodplain will be flooded and at low tide it will drain naturally. 

 

This scheme will result in 55 hectares of salt marsh and mudflat habitats for species. The  change from intertidal to freshwater benefits otters, fish and overwintering birds. In addition to this, there will be a realignment of current footpaths and a creation of a small car park so there will be access by foot and by car.  In five years, it will become a wildlife reserve with seven viewing areas for the public.

 

In Normandy in France, there’s a similar scheme occurring and if both schemes are effective they will happen in other parts of the UK and France. It will be interesting to see how the completed project will take the local area back to its natural form again.