Watcombe Beach reopens to the public

Watcombe Beach has officially reopened to the public after repair work and the creation of a new access point.

Located on the edge of Torquay, it was closed by Torbay Council in February 2020 after storms and heavy rain destroyed much of the path and steps down to the beach, making safe access to the beach difficult.

Groundwork South Trust, Watcombe ward councillors, SWISCo and council staff worked in partnership to carry out the necessary repair work, including the diversion of problematic waterways that were damaging the existing path.

Led by the charity Groundwork South Trust, the labour-intensive work of removing the damaged concrete steps was carried out and new steps made from locally sourced logs were put in their place.

The repair work was partly funded by Torbay Council. The project has also received £5,080 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, of which Torbay has received a total of £1,764,043 to invest in local projects over three years.

The fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s upgrading program and its main aim is to build pride and increase life chances across the UK. TDA manages the Torbays UKSPF Investment Scheme on behalf of the Torbay Board, overseeing purchases, allocating funds and managing contracts to organizations carrying out the projects.

Councilor Chris Lewis, Cabinet Member for Place Services and Economic Growth for Torbay Council, said: We are delighted that people can once again enjoy Watcombe Beach, particularly with the start of the summer school holidays. Torbay has 22 miles of stunning coastline and over 20 secluded beaches and coves. It’s one of the many reasons why the English Riviera is such a wonderful place to live and why thousands of tourists visit the area every year. As a Council, we are committed to protecting these beautiful natural places and making them as accessible and inclusive as possible so that everyone can experience them.

Davina Luther, Head of Engagement at Groundwork South, said: ‘Two separate works have been undertaken to reroute the stream to prevent the weakening of the step lane. This work was stress tested last winter and has now enabled the stage to be rebuilt. Groundwork South Trust and SWISCo have worked closely together over the past two years to achieve this. About 30,000 was spent during this period to divert the stream. The local community and councilors from nearby wards helped monitor the effectiveness of these works once implemented. It is a great example of how local government, community and environmental charities can work together to protect local treasures and I am especially looking forward to seeing Torbay families, school groups and scouts access and enjoy this wonderful beach.

The beach was officially reopened on Friday July 21, 2023.

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