The Birthplace of Sir Walter Raleigh
The Village
East Budleigh
Clinton Devon Estates
Otter Valley Flooding Scheme
Clinton Devon Estates is floating a scheme to
allow a stretch of the river Otter shown
opposite, to become a tidal estuary. Mike
Williams, who is on secondment from the
Environment Agency, gave a talk before the
last Parish meeting. He explained that the
proposal was to breach the stone barrier at the
mouth of the estuary allowing the sea to flood
in and out with the tides. This would cause the
river itself to back up at high tide, flooding
the fields back up to Otterton. He was unable
to tell the meeting where the river high tide
would in fact reach, but I understand that
modelling would be carried out to establish
this boundary. No plans had yet been devised
how to avoid the road to South Farm being cut
off with each tide, but he was clearly aware
that this would also disrupt the coastal path.
defences had been installed drying out marshland, and the EU were insisting that they be replaced with an
equivalent area. The land owners around Darts farm had refused permission for the Environment Agency
to flood their property, hence the scheme based on the Otter.
The plan is in its infancy and when further detail becomes available,
they will be published.
The cost was estimated at £6 million with the
money to be raised from EU grants and other
partners. He explained that the main purpose
of the scheme was to provide wetlands to
balance those removed when work was
recently carried out on the river Exe. Hard