UK Shore News

The historic Clavell Tower in Dorset was due to reopen on August 29 after being rebuilt brick by brick to stop it falling in to the sea. The monument was built by the Rev John Richards Clavell in 1830 as an observatory and folly, with four storeys, including a basement, and a distinctive Tuscan colonnade.

The tower was situated close to the cliff edge at Kimmeridge Bay on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast, but an 18-month project has seen the historic monument dismantled by specialist builders. The tower was then rebuilt 82ft inland using as much of the original materials as possible. The leaseholders, the Landmark Trust launched an appeal in 2004 to raise money to save the tower, later securing a £436,000 lottery grant. As with their other properties, they plan to make the tower available for holiday lets.

Peter Pearce, director at the trust, said: “The tower’s future is secure and it can now resume its role as sentinel on this stretch of coastline. Its familiar silhouette will continue to welcome the many thousands of people who visit and walk in Kimmeridge Bay each year.”

Source: Dorset Echo, The Independent

The government has approved a plan to site one of the largest offshore windfarms in the UK off the Cumbrian coast at Duddon Sands (Walney Island). The developers Morecambe Wind say the turbines will power 372,000 homes.

Energy Secretary John Hutton has also approved updated plans for a separate 30 turbine windfarm near the island. He said: “These windfarms demonstrate our commitment to dramatically increase the amount of energy we generate from renewable sources, helping to cut the UK’s carbon emissions and secure our energy supplies.”.

Source: BBC News