The Lower Otter Estuary is a very special place. It is home to local people and businesses. It provides habitat for a wide variety of breeding and wintering bird species, and it is enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors each year.
But this coastal community, like many others, faces growing challenges due to climate change. As the oceans warm up, they take up more space and sea levels rise. We are also seeing more extreme storms and rainfall events which increase the intensity and erosional power of rivers and the sea.
The Lower Otter Restoration Project is working with local people and partner organisations to adapt and enhance the downstream part of the River Otter, its estuary, and its immediate surroundings for future generations in the face of a rapidly changing climate.
We are undertaking a managed realignment scheme where the River Otter meets the sea near Budleigh Salterton in East Devon. The project is being delivered because the existing 200-year-old sea defences are now starting to fail and are becoming increasingly hard to maintain. This is already impacting on public infrastructure, local businesses and homes, and recreational facilities. The project has secured sufficient funding as well as planning and other consents to allow us to begin implementing the proposals.
The major partners in the Lower Otter Restoration Project include Clinton Devon Estates, who own the land around the estuary, and the Environment Agency, the government body which has responsibility for improving resilience to climate change, flood defence, increasing biodiversity and improving habitats and water quality.
Find out more about the challenges facing the Lower Otter Estuary, managed realignment and the timeline for this project.
Meeting the challenges of climate change
Click here to see the expected implementation timeline
The changing landscape
Click here to see a specially prepared video showing drone footage of the project site from August 2021 and August 2022 side-by-side.
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Contacts
Tell us what you think
To contact the Lower Otter Restoration Project, click here.
Q&A
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the project are available here.
Environment
Environmental Statement To see the Lower Otter Restoration Project Environmental Statement, click here.
Kier Newsletter
Please click here to read the October 2023 Kier Lower Otter Restoration Project newsletter.
Queen’s Green Canopy
The Environment Agency, on behalf of the Lower Otter Restoration Project, has been granted a virtual plaque after planting 225 trees to form part of the Queen’s Green Canopy which marked the 2022 Platinum Jubilee.
25 September, 2023: Following the successful installation of the footbridge, work will now commence on removing a section of the existing tidal embankment adjacent to Lime Kiln Car Park.
