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Lives in a Landscape

Factual: Life Stories

Documentary series telling original stories about real lives in Britain today

Lives in a Landscape: Series 17

Lives in a Landscape: Series 17: Episode 3: Branscombe Chalet Owners

Branscombe Chalet Owners

Episode 3

Episode 3: Branscombe Chalet Owners

Series 17

BBC Radio 4 - Lives in a Landscape, Series 17, Branscombe Chalet Owners

Beach chalet owners in Devon battle the authorities to rebuild after the storms.

Storms have washed away much of the beach at Branscombe in Devon, leaving chalet owners facing ruin. They want to rebuild, but the authorities say the beach must be left to erode.

In February 2014, the worst storms in a generation hit the south Devon coast. Among those affected were the owners of five beach chalets at Branscombe. The sea took away much of the beach and eroded the earth banks on which the chalets stood, exposing the foundations and making some of them uninhabitable. 

Before the storm, the chalets were worth up to £250,000 each but now they are virtually unsaleable. The owners would like to rebuild them, and move shingle back up the beach to protect them from future storms. But there's a problem: Branscombe beach is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and falls under the control of Natural England. Natural England won't let the owners move shingle, partly because the upper shoreline is home to the very rare scaly cricket. They also adhere to a "Shoreline Management Plan", which says that there should be "no active intervention" to protect the beach from erosion. 

There is a stand-off between the owners and Natural England, but the clock's ticking: without urgent action, the chalets could fall into the sea in the next big storm. Some of the chalet owners are not wealthy - they have mortgages on their chalets and depend on the income from letting them out in the summer. Now, with an entire season's income gone, some of them are staring at financial ruin. One man in particular, Philip Trenchard, was brought to the chalets by his father when he was a child, and now brings his own family every year. This continuity is a key part of his identity, and he'd expected to be able to continue using the chalets for many more years. But the coastal erosion, which is more severe than anyone predicted, has thrown all his assumptions about time scales into doubt. 

Presenter: Alan Dein 
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Stories about real lives in Britain today, presented by Alan Dein

Documentary series telling original stories about real lives in Britain today. Presented by Alan Dein

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Episode 3: Branscombe Chalet Owners

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