9.2.3

Case Study: Lyme Regis

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Coastal Management in the UK - Lyme Regis, Dorset

Lyme Regis is a coastal town located on the south coast of England.

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Coastal management

  • The coast of Lyme Regis is managed because:
    • Unstable cliffs and powerful waves lead to the fast erosion of the cliffs at Lyme Regis.
    • Lyme Regis has a popular seafront which needs to be protected from damage.
    • Previous coastal defences in Lyme Regis have NOT been successful.
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Coastal defences in Lyme Regis

  • The Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme aims to protect the coastline at Lyme Regis.
  • The Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme was completed in 2015.
  • The Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme cost £43 million.
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Phases of the scheme

  • The Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme had four phases:
    • Phases 1 and 2 involved new sea walls being built. Rock armour was also added to protect the beach.
    • Phase 3 was cancelled following a cost-benefit analysis.
    • Phase 4 involved new sea walls to provide extra protection. Work to make the cliffs more stable was also completed.

Impact of the Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme

The Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme has both a positive and negative impact on the local area.

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Positive impact

  • The positive impacts of the Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme include:
    • More tourists have visited Lyme Regis because the beaches have improved.
    • More tourists have visited Lyme Regis because there is better protection for the harbour.
    • Lyme Regis has been successfully protected from the sea during storms.
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Negative impact

  • The negative impacts of the Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme include:
    • People complain that the new defences ruin the natural coastline.
    • Some people are concerned that the Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Scheme could cause erosion of other areas of the coast.
      • People are worried the erosion will be worse in other areas because of changes to the process of long-shore drift.

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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