A stretch of road in South Devon, England, has collapsed after winter storms tore through the coastline, cutting off a key link between Kingsbridge and Dartmouth. And members of Parliament say Britain still has no real national plan for helping coastal communities deal with worsening erosion and rising seas.
According to the Guardian, part of the A379, known as the Slapton Line, gave way this year between Torcross and Slapton. The incident left broken asphalt, steel, and concrete scattered across the shore. The road sits on a narrow strip between the sea and a protected freshwater lake, making it especially vulnerable to storm damage.
Sophie Day, a senior researcher for the climate restoration project Climatewise, said to the Guardian, "Some would say that the erosion of the A379 has been foreseeable for decades, and questions should be asked about whether it is possible to keep patching up this road and others like it."
Gill Sterry, owner of the Sea View campsite, added that the area feels "forgotten about" after months without even temporary improvements to the damaged route.
The cost of repairing the road is estimated at about £18 million — almost $24.2 million using current exchange rates — which Devon County Council says it cannot easily absorb. Dan Thomas, the council's cabinet member for highways and transportation, called that cost "a sucker punch" against the authority's wider transport budget.
More than 10,000 properties may face coastal erosion in the next 80 years. Their area reportedly covers at least 114 miles of roads and 3.7 miles of rail.
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Unfortunately, when transport links fail, communities can lose tourism income, access to jobs, and basic connections to neighboring towns. In places like Slapton and Torcross, these can threaten livelihoods and long-standing ways of life.
The human toll is even larger where homes are at risk. In Norfolk alone, up to 1,600 homes could be lost over the next 80 years. Some shoreline plans classify areas as "managed realignment" or "no active intervention," per the Guardian. Those designations mean officials expect the coastline to move inland and may not build new defenses.
That approach may reflect financial or engineering realities, but without strong support systems, it can leave residents facing collapsing property values, uninsurable homes, and no compensation if erosion destroys what they own. Some areas receive major protective projects because of national infrastructure or economic value. Others are told retreat is inevitable.
The Environment Agency, local authorities, and some coastal groups have developed shoreline management plans around the country. The government has funded coastal transition pilot projects meant to help communities adapt to erosion.
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In Devon, residents welcomed a £19.5 million project to upgrade sea defenses near Torcross, according to the Guardian. But that funding does not solve the fate of the road itself, which is classified under "managed realignment." Ministers haven't committed to covering the rebuilding cost either.
Elsewhere, pilot programs have helped people prepare for losses. In Happisburgh, Norfolk, local officials and researchers worked with residents over time before demolitions took place. Researchers say those kinds of programs need to become mainstream national policy, especially since there is still no insurance or compensation framework for homes lost to erosion.
"It is important to be brave and face up to this massive problem, but it is hard," Day said.
And as Helen Millman of Exeter University put it to the Guardian, "Moving people away from areas like these takes decades of planning — you cannot just move people overnight."
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