Bournemouth Field Trip, May 2016

The May 2016 SCOPAC field trip took elected members, officers and consultants to Poole Harbour and Bournemouth in Dorset to view the Bournemouth Beach Management Scheme. It was also an opportunity to see the landslide which closed off the road and promenade in April.

Due to the inaccessibility caused by the landslide, the Bournemouth scheme and the landslide were viewed from the sea, aboard the Purbeck Gem boat.

The £50 million programme of works for the Bournemouth scheme runs from 2015 to 2032 and will:

• replace Bournemouth’s existing 53 groynes
• construct an additional three new groynes
• replace the groyne at Hengistbury Head known as the ‘Long Groyne’
• schedule beach replenishment to take place once every five years.

• Detailed information on the scheme can be found in David Harlow’s information pack above, and also at www.twobays.net.
• Further information on the landslide can be found in Peter Hobb’s report for the British Geological Society Site visit to landslide East Cliff, Bournemouth on 27th April 2016 (pdf, 2MB).
• More generic information on strategies and schemes around Poole Bay and Poole Harbour can be found in a handout by Neil Watson of the Environment Agency: SCOPAC visit to Poole Bay and Poole Harbour (pdf, 2MB).

Approximately 40 delegates attended the event, which commenced in Poole Harbour before heading out to the open coast.

On returning, the boat passed by the islands in Poole Harbour where Tony Flux of the National Trust talked about the No Active Intervention policy which has been implemented on the south shore of Brownsea Island. Here coastal defences have been removed, allowing a more natural coastline to form.

Various presentations were given whilst onboard by Dr David Harlow and Zak Bourn of Bournemouth Borough Council, Tony Flux of the National Trust and Professor Vince May.

SCOPAC would like to thank the speakers for their excellent talks and in particular Dr David Harlow for his involvement in helping to organise the event.