Residents Slam Coast Survey
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Homeowners in a Weymouth street have branded a report on coastal erosion as "tripe", saying it could damage the value of their properties.
Reg Bratt says the council's assessment is "alarmist".
A study commissioned by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council a year ago concluded some homes in Old Castle Road, overlooking Portland Harbour, could be lost in the next two decades, while others would become inaccessible if the road collapsed.
Reg Bratt, who bought his house in the Sixties, said: "To say all this will be gone in a hundred years is nonsense – in 46 years it hasn't moved at all.
"The council said the coast would move back to the road but, if anything, it's gone the other way. So to say the cliff is going to be back there is absolute tripe.
"This is terribly important because it affects the value of our properties here. To say it's eroding when it's not is ludicrous."
Ralph Craddick lost several feet from his garden in February but he is convinced it was caused by development on a neighbouring property.
He said: "There's no doubt why it happened, but we've still got 60ft left of our garden so we're not terribly worried."
