FAQs
- up to 2042
- up to 2062
- beyond 2062
- Improve Weymouth’s resilience to flood and coastal erosion now and over the next 100 years.
- Improve understanding of how climate change trends will impact Weymouth to help us prepare and adapt for the future.
- Identify opportunities for regeneration and growth in the town centre, which could be delivered as part of the scheme.
- Enhance the waterfront and pathway around Weymouth Harbour and the Esplanade so that everyone can continue to enjoy and safely use these spaces now, and in the future.
- Work closely with partners to improve the natural environment and protect the historic environment of Weymouth.
- Surface water flooding (this is caused by rain falling directly onto Weymouth but not being able to drain naturally)
- Flooding from the sea during high tides
- Flooding from waves crashing over the sea front
- Flooding from the River Wey
Project Overview
Project overview
As a low-lying coastal town, Weymouth is at risk of coastal erosion and flooding from the sea and flooding from the river and surface water. If a severe weather event takes place in Weymouth, thousands of homes and businesses could be flooded.
We know sea levels are rising and extreme weather events will happen more often and may be more severe. In 100 years, the average sea level will be more than one metre higher than it is today. This means that all high tides and low tides will be one meter higher, too.
As part of the Weymouth flood and coastal defence project, Dorset Council is working with Dorset Coast Forum, the Environment Agency, Wessex Water and WSP (engineering consultants), to develop an Outline Business Case (OBC).
An OBC is a document required by the UK Government Treasury when government funds are requested. The OBC will investigate costs and benefits of a range of options, then recommend the preferred options to improve Weymouth’s resilience to flood and erosion risks.
This OBC project will build on earlier work carried out by Dorset Council and the Environment Agency exploring possible options for managing flood and coastal erosion risk in Weymouth. The earlier work recommended a phased approach to improve resilience in three stages:
The OBC being produced will apply for funding for the first phase of work to take the project up to 2042. It will prioritise sections of harbour walls that are currently lower, or close to the end of their design life, and sections identified along the esplanade which are at the most risk of erosion.
Managing impacts associated with any proposed improvements is a key consideration. These include minimising disruption as far as practicable to businesses, harbour operations, residents, and the community of Weymouth, and managing impacts on fisheries and the environment. As part of the project, we will also be delivering exciting new regeneration opportunities for Weymouth.
Key Objectives
Dorset Council, working together with the Environment Agency and partners, has put together six key objectives for the scheme:
Reducing flood risk in Weymouth
We’ll be looking at options to address the different sources of flooding in Weymouth. These include:
We will also look at how coastal erosion can be managed.