‘Huge milestone’ as new surf lifesaving club is approved for ‘generations to come’
The modular building can be moved in future to cope with rising sea levels
Porthtowan Surf Lifesaving Club is celebrating after Cornwall Council granted planning permission for much-needed new, modern premises.
The club stated: “This is a huge milestone for the club and brings us another major step closer to creating modern, resilient lifesaving facilities on Porthtowan beach, providing a new home for our club activities and supporting the RNLI lifeguard service for generations to come.
“The building will be modular which will enable it to be moved in the future and provide resilience against our changing climate and predicted sea level rise. We’d like to thank everyone who has supported the project, contributed, offered advice or helped us along the way. There is still plenty of work ahead, but today is definitely a moment to celebrate.”
The replacement building is being supported by the Making Space for Sand project, which is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, managed by the Environment Agency and delivered by the Cornwall Council project team.
The club’s original planning application stated: “The existing building has served well as a clubhouse and lifeguard station. However, the exposed coastal location and age have taken their toll on the structure and the building is showing visible deterioration, including cracking and partial separation to part of the building fabric.
“The proposed new building will be split into two modular parts, with the northern section fronting towards the beach which will contain the lifeguard operation room and training room, with an outer decking area. This section will be 1.3m higher than the rear area, which will be used for toilets, storage, changing facilities, equipment storage and plant room.
“The raised level of the decking area and front section for the lifeguards is an essential addition as a lifesaving feature to ensure sightlines over the new dune layout which is being brought forward separate to this proposal.”