Restoration Project

Published: 11 March 2021

 Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change

The Lower Otter Restoration Project is a £15million, landscape-scale project led by the Environment Agency to address the impact of climate change by restoring the Otter estuary and flood plain to a more natural condition. The project is part of Promoting Adaptation to Changing Coasts (PACCo), a cross-border initiative, financially supported by the Interreg VA France (Channel) England programme.

The Emergency Agency and the Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust  are working in partnership to deliver this scheme. The benefits include reconnecting the River Otter to its floodplain, realigning and raising South Farm Road, reducing risk of environmental contamination from a former tip site, relocating Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club  to a flood-free site and creating new areas of intertidal habitats, mudflats and saltmarsh, which provide a home for numerous rare and endangered native and migratory species. Following this exciting project, people will be able to continue to explore the site through the network of footpaths much as they do now, but within an environment that has been made more resilient to the effects of climate change and which is richer in intertidal habitat, flora and fauna. 

What is happening next: Prepatory site investigation works, Ground investigations will obtain geotechnical, archaeological, buried utility and highway construction information. This work is being undertaken by the Environment Agency's contractor Kier and is part of the preparation for the main scheme, which is due to start in May/June 2021. 

What to expect:

•  A site office and staff welfare facilities will be located at the northeast corner of Lime Kiln Car Park. 
• Temporary trackway will be laid across the fields for machinery and vehicles to access the site. 
• Trail holes, bore holes and utility services investigations will be carried out across the site, between Lime Kiln Car Park and Otterton. 
• These preparatory ground investigations are planned to take six-eight weeks to complete, though the exact duration will be dependent on weather and the resulting ground conditions. 

• Site set up for ground investigations will start from 15th March 2021.
• Ground investigation works will start from 22nd March 2021. 
• Planned completion of this phase is the end of April 2021.

If you have any questions or comments about these site works, please contact Kier's Public Liaison Officer by email, at exmouth.PLO@kier.co.uk or for urgent matters call 07716 223056.

Thank you for your patience and understanding whilst these essential works are being carried out, Jayne Johnson, Public Liaison Officer Kier.