about us

This website exists for the Slapton Line community as a whole; it is funded and maintained by the Slapton Line Partnership.

The Slapton Line Partnership
The Partnership was formed in 2001 in response to a closure of the coast road (between the Slapton turn and Strete Gate), which lasted three months. The road was closed due to substantial damage caused by a combination of strong easterly winds, high spring tides and low levels of beach shingle.

The Partnership exists to:

1. maintain the coast road for as long as reasonably possible
2. support the community as it adapts to live and work with the changing coast, including the temporary and eventual permanent loss of the coast road
3. to manage the future road closures to the benefit of the community

The Partnership brings together the following community and government bodies under the following structures:

Partnership Steering Group

• South Hams District Council (SHDC) – Chairing Partner
• Devon County Council's (DCC) Highways Department
• Natural England
• Environment Agency (EA)
• Slapton Ley Field Centre

The Steering Group gathers quarterly to consider developments at the Slapton Line and respond to these to the benefit of the Slapton Line area as whole. Examples as follows:

1. an agreement in spring 2008 to invest in re-building the shingle bastions along the beach that had been eroded by the sea since they were built in 2001;
2. winning through application a £245,000 grant from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to be spent on community adaptation to the long-term loss of the coast road. Also managing the spending of this grant between spring 2007 and 2010
3. Pre-emptive planning permissions (and environmental impact assessment) for two sections of the road (north of the Slapton turn) to be moved inland. See details.
4. Land searches entry to make clear future policy. See details.

Partnership Advisory Group

• Parish Council representatives
• Business and community representatives
• Estate representatives
• Devon & Cornwall Police
• Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
• South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• RNLI
• South Hams District Council (SHDC) – Chairing Partner
• Devon County Council's (DCC) Highways Department
• Natural England
• Environment Agency
• Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Slapton Field Centre
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

The Advisory Group meets every six months to consider then to inform and guide the Steering Group. The public can attend this group and are allowed to speak within the early part of the meeting in a similar way to Parish Council meetings.