Geoffrey Cox has welcomed the work undertaken this week to repair and improve the slipway at Westward Ho!. Funded by Torridge District Council and the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the new slipway will provide easy access to this local Blue Flag beach.
He has chaired several meetings in the last year with key stakeholders, including the Council, the Environment Agency, and local business owners, to discuss the urgent need for safe access onto the beach for the elderly, the disabled, and families with small children. He has also lobbied extensively to raise the wider issue of shoreline management at Westward Ho! which has suffered from flooding and significant damage to the seafront due to recent storms.
Geoffrey said:
“It is hugely welcome news that the new slipway will be completed in time for the summer holiday so that local residents and tourists will be able to enjoy all that Westward Ho! has to offer.
"It was extremely pleasing to see Torridge District Council approve these works in June, and I am grateful to all the councillors, officers at TDC, local business owners, and others, who have worked together in recent months to agree a solution to the lack of safe access onto the beach.
"I will continue to lobby the Environment Agency regarding the need for substantial investment in sea defences and flood protection at Westward Ho! to safeguard homes and businesses on the seafront as part of the long-term shoreline management plan they have already committed to.”