Happy New Year and welcome to Dorset Coast Forum’s January 2023 eNews update. If you have information to share, or wish to unsubscribe, please email dorset.coast@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.

Find us on Twitter at @Dorset_CF,  Facebook @DorsetCoastForum and LinkedIn. Find out more about our projects at @dorsetcoastforum | Linktree

Year of the Coast 2023 
Year of the Coast 2023 will showcase the best of our incredible coast and mark the creation of England’s coast path. It aims to raise awareness and inspire new audiences to love, visit and protect our coastline. The campaign is being led by the National Tourism Coastal Academy, alongside national and regional partners. As well as sharing social media posts, DCF will work with our members and partners to help create our own monthly posts that promote how to respect, protect and celebrate our coast #coast2023 #Respect #Protect #Enjoy.

Please contact us if you have any ideas of information to share and celebrate our coast!

West Dorset South Coast Path Parish Boundary Markers

New artist designed and handcrafted parish boundary markers are continuing to be installed on the West Dorset South Coast Path waiting to be discovered as walkers go from one parish to another. Thank you to all the artists and Dorset Council Countryside Rangers for doing an excellent job installing these new markers. This as part of the Dorset Coastal Connections West Dorset Walkers Welcome project. Find out more and see the artists and amazing markers that have been installed so far at West Dorset Walkers Welcome | Dorset Coast Have Your Say

Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Projects

DCF awarded Environment Agency’s Local Levy funding for support of coastal defence projects
DCF have been awarded £261,473 from the Environment Agency’s Local Levy fund, between 2022 – 2025, to support FCERM projects led by BCP Council and Dorset Council. DCF’s role is to support community engagement, share information, gain public feedback and create awareness of planned works. DCF also help facilitate discussion between different partners and organisations involved in each project, particularly regarding public realm improvements.

Please see below for more details on individual FCERM projects, including for Swanage, Lyme Regis and Weymouth.

Swanage Town Coastal Protection Scheme

Following on from a recent Disability Assessment of the town commissioned by Swanage Town Council to help inform the Swanage Seafront Masterplan, DCF and the Environment Agency are reacting to the recommendation to highlight the Legato ‘lego’ wave barriers installed for the winter period so that they can be more easily identified by visually impaired pedestrians.  The blocks will remain in place until the spring and be reinstalled by the Environment Agency over the 2023/24 winter period. A design will be created to make them more visible where it is required.

Coming soon – JBA Consulting have been contracted to model wave patterns and depth in Swanage and to produce plans for the most appropriate solutions for the project. DCF will share the results of the modelling process and how they inform future plans. Look out for details of our flood protection community event in March 2023 and further information available on our DCF events page. Plus follow our social media channels for the most up to date news!

Lyme Regis Cobb Stabilisation

The project team met on a very cold but sunny December day for a tour of the Cobb with key stakeholders from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Natural England.

There is lots planned from a DCF engagement perspective on this project, including workshops with commercial users, a commercial users survey, a website to launch to help inform the local community on the project. Details will be shared as soon as they are available.

Weymouth Flood Defence Project

A list of options are currently being prepared for the Weymouth Flood Defence project for the Esplanade and Harbour. These will be assessed through consultation, technical consideration and workshops to identify which options best meet project objectives. Surface water and river flood modelling will also take place, involving ‘hydraulic models’ which are crucial to the business case and in better understanding associated current and future risks for Weymouth Harbour and Esplanade.

The second round of engagement is scheduled for Spring 2023. This will include a series of virtual and in-person events to engage with business owners, harbour users and residents in Weymouth to seek consultation on the options being considered. Preferred options will be taken forward for further assessment as part of the business case.

Swanage Seafront Masterplan

After a busy Autumn out and about talking to many residents, businesses and visitors of Swanage, attention has turned to the analysis of the survey and other consultation data and putting together a first draft of the Swanage seafront masterplan.

With over 1000 survey responses, workshops, pop-up information stands, a photography exhibition and an ideas board with over 100 ideas, there is lots of data to analyse and ultimately help inform the seafront masterplan. The process has unearthed some interesting trends and we’re really excited to launch the initial draft masterplan in April 2023 – with a further round of public consultation. Following that, and working with our partners, Swanage Town Council, the final version will be presented in July 2023.

Swanage seafront

Studland Bay Marine Partnership – Eco-Mooring Project

Thank you to everyone who took the time to take part in our two recent surveys relating to the eco-moorings and to the draft management strategy for Studland Bay.  Commissioned by the Studland Bay Marine Partnership the consultation report is now available to read on the project webpage, where you can also find plenty of information and resources on the importance and impacts of environmental conservation at Studland.

DCF Project Officer Sara will be continuing to support the partnership as they move into the next phase of eco-mooring installation, raising public awareness of the Marine Conservation Zone and Voluntary No Anchor Zone.

Studland Bay MCZ voluntary no anchor zone review – stakeholder survey
In addition to the above, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is asking stakeholders for views and feedback on the voluntary no anchor zone that was introduced in Studland Bay Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) as part of the MMO Habitat Protection Strategy. To give your views please see here.
Closing date: 20 January 2023

Weymouth BRIC

• The new Householder Guide to Flooding is nearly ready for distribution! We will be sending the guide to households in the Melcombe Regis and Harbour area and stocking them in community points including the library, the Park Community Centre and the Weymouth Information Shop.
• Two Flood Warden training sessions, led by the Environment Agency and for Weymouth residents are being delivered on 19^th and 26^th January at 6-9pm in the Weymouth Town Council Offices. To find out more about being a flood warden in Weymouth please contact Dan Williams.
• In conjunction with the other BRIC project partners across England and France, we are creating a ‘Model Guide’ to provide communities and organisations with guidance on how best to apply the tools we have used. This will form part of the legacy of the BRIC project which ends in April.
• On 15^th March BRIC project partners are hosting a free conference that will explore the role of social innovation in response to flooding and climate change. It is being held in person in Plymouth and streamed online, and you can sign up for free here: Social Innovation for Climate resilience Tickets, Wed, Mar 15, 2023 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite

For more information or to get involved in any aspect of the project, please contact dan.williams@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan

• Following on from the positive response to the DCF led Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan consultation and survey held this summer, the WNP Steering Group have launched their own survey on key questions around land use to ensure a balance between protecting important community and natural spaces and identifying land for future homes and jobs. The online survey is now open until Tuesday 31st January.
• DCF will be facilitating the next phase of community engagement at the end of February on behalf of the Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group.
• If you are a community leader, school, college, organisation or group in Weymouth keen to find out more about the Neighbourhood Plan and how it effects the places where you live, please contact Sara at dorset.coast@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Sustainable Swanage

• Sustainable Swanage are planning a series of events for the year ahead including a bicycle festival and spring fayre. We are also working with Swanage Town Council on interpretation for several of their greenspaces.
• Our ‘Don’t Ditch it’ clothing event on Saturday 21st January from 2-4pm at All Saints Church, Ulwell, Swanage, involves a clothes swap and repair session.
• The Energy working group have prepared a useful Energy saving advice leaflet Purbeck Energy Group – Energy Saving Advice Leaflet, which was delivered to all Purbeck households in December.
• The Greening Swanage working group have put together Swanage’s very first tree trail. Free copies of the ‘Trees of Swanage’ leaflet are now available at the Swanage Information centre or at Sustainable Swanage events. For more information and a PDF of the trail, see here:  New Swanage Tree Trail Launched – Sustainable Swanage