A BUSINESS owner has hit out at Natural England, as he believes they are going to let his café fall into the sea.

Steve Postles has seen his Soft Rock Café at Charmouth creep closer to the edge of a ledge near East Beach after last year’s winter storms, along with the River Char changing course.

Work is now taking place by Charmouth Parish Council to divert the river back to its traditional route to the sea.

However, the council do not have permission to carry out any sea defence work in front of the café.

“The council has now diverted the river, but the problem is that Natural England has stopped anybody doing any work to protect the kiosk,” said Mr Postles.

“I have tried to contact Natural England, but we need to get separate permission to shore up the front end of the café.

“Now the river has been diverted, it should hopefully protect the café from further damage.

“But it’s not good enough for Natural England to ignore me.

“They are the ones who are going to destroy my business.

“I want a meeting with them on the beach to show them exactly how important this is,” he added.

“I need to know, one way or another, if I can save my business.”

Natural England needs to give permission for any work to take place on the West Dorset Coast Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Part of the World Heritage Site’s Shoreline Management Plan includes no active intervention by way of sea defences in order to preserve the Jurassic Coast.

A spokesperson for Natural England said: “Charmouth Beach forms part of the West Dorset Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest, meaning any works require a formal assent.

“Charmouth Parish Council applied to Natural England to carry out works to realign the River Char to its original course, by moving beach shingle.

“These works were assented and we believe that work has now started.

“We are in contact with Mr Postles to advise him of this situation.”

Charmouth Parish Council has until February 23 to complete the work, with a new channel already created for the river.

Cllr Paul Oatway, chairman of the council’s foreshore committee, said: “What we have is a battle between the river and the sea.

“We must use the material we take out to fill any space.

“There is a risk at the moment that people could be in danger of being cut off on the beach when the tide comes in – so we are asking people to use their common sense and not to take any risks while part of the footpath is inaccessible around the café.

“We are not allowed to import any material to create the new channel, and we cannot create any sea defences in order to protect the café, but hopefully this work will help prevent erosion for the café.

“The Parish Council has a long-term strategy to create a Beach Management Plan in consultation with all relevant agencies to allow us to manage the river and the beach in a much more proactive manner, without having to apply for permission each time.”

Scheme 'less interventional'

RESEARCH from the Plymouth Coastal Observatory had shown that the beach lost a substantial amount of shingle and sand during last winter's storms – which is considered a significant factor for the river diverting to the east.

The realignment had originally been planned for November, using a contractor's plant – but there was not enough shingle on the beach to complete the work effectively.

“The provisional contractor's estimates indicated it would be a significant cost, all paid for by the Parish Council,” said Cllr Paul Oatway.

“The current works are to a different plan and are less interventional as required by the various authorities we had to consult with. The new scheme is being carried out by the Parish Council's own plant and resources,” he added.

“We have not estimated the cost of the scheme to any great extent. When the works are completed, a full costing exercise will be completed.”