CASE STUDY OF DORSET

• Holiday resort


  • Small
  • Attractive
  • Artificial harbour
• Two piers constructed to provide a pathway to the beach so that trading vessels could moor on the River Brit

  1740
• Shipbuilding


  Dominated the local economy during 19th century until it declined
• Commercial port


  Remained until 1976
• Commercial potential became severely limited

  Vessels only being able to enter 200 days of the year due to the wind and sea conditions and limited protection of the piers
• Shinle bar


  Formed in the channel between the piers and needed regular dredging
• Management scheme


  1. Demolishing the existing western pier and rebuilding it at a new alignment

  2. Adding new rock and groynes

  3. Beach nourishment
• £14 million cost
• New harbour


  Intended to sustain the small fishing industry and further develop tourism
• Unintentional impacts


  Impacts of sediment transportation along the coast
• English Nature are particularly concerned that the supply of sediment along the coast to Chesil Beach will be reduced
• There is some evidence that the beach at Burton Bradstock, to the east of the new pier has reduced sediment volume, a lower beach surface and, as a result, increase erosion at the base of the cliffs behind the beach
• Beach nourishment material


  French Granite, essentially an "alien sediment" which impacts natural habitats when moved around during the storms and could end up being transported down to Chesil Beach, changing the natural characteristics of the sediment sorting for which Chesil Beach is so famous