Poole Bay (PBY)
Sandbanks Ferry Slipway to Hengistbury Long Groyne
Poole Bay comprises a 16km long section of open coastline extending from
the Sandbanks peninsula to Hengistbury Head. Preservation of the
tourist beaches is vital to the local economy and the foreshore is
characterised by recently replenished sandy beaches, which become coarser
at the eastern end of the Bay. The central section is characterised
by cliffs (some stabilised) between 10m and 35m in height, with extensive
cliff-top residential areas.
There is significant cliff-top development all along this section of coast
and the residential areas of Canford Cliffs, Bournemouth, Boscombe and
Southbourne form a single conurbation.
Tourism
is vital to the local economy with beaches one of the most important
assets. There are a number of large hotels, conference facilities,
restaurants, nightclubs, an aquarium, museums and other associated
infrastructure. The seafront affords opportunities for a range of
water based activities including bathing, surfing and fishing, while
sailing, power boating, water skiing, windsurfing operate from Poole
Harbour. Seasonal local cruises on the paddle steamers Waverley and
Balmoral operate from Bournemouth Pier, as do regular trips by the Dorset
Belles and the Shockwave speed boat.
There are a number of cliff sections which are designated as being
nationally important geological sites and comprise:
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Poole Bay Cliffs SSSI |
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Christchurch Harbour SSSI (which includes Hengistbury Head) |
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Boscombe to Southbourne Overcliff Local Nature Reserve |
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Branksome Dene Chine Local Nature Reserve |
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Hengistbury Head Local Nature Reserve |
SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest
Construction of the many
seawalls and promenades over the course of the
last century effectively put a stop to the
natural supply of beach material from cliff erosion and the groynes
serve to retain imported material which moves predominantly moves from
west to east.
Between
Sandbanks Ferry Slipway and Branksome Chine (Canford Cliffs) the coastline
is defended with a concrete revetment and timber groynes, and the beaches
have recently been improved with 450,000m2 of beach (sand) renourishment
from the Poole Harbour dredging operation.
Further
to the east the central section of the Bay (West Cliff through central
Bournemouth, Boscombe and Southbourne to Point House Cafe) is defended by
concrete seawalls and timber groynes. The promenades along this
section are backed by soft sandy cliffs up to 35m in height, lower where
the cliff line intersects chines. Between Alum Chine and Warren Hill
the beaches were renourished (early 2006) with 650,000m2 of beach material
from the Poole Harbour operation, and a further 897,000m2 from a Licensed
Dredging Area off the Isle of Wight in early 2007. The first of
three annual top-ups of 70,000m3 was added in March 2008 (see
www.poolebay.net for
further information).
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Boscombe
A £2 million artificial reef is due to be
constructed just east of Boscombe Pier, forming an integral part of
the wider regeneration of Boscombe's seafront area. It will be
constructed from large geotextile bags filled with sand, some up to
30m long. The reef - the first of its kind in Europe - will
give the beach its own identity, raise the profile of Boscombe and
attract a large number of visitors on an annual basis.
As part of the preparation for installing
the reef, the Council took advantage of the beach replenishment
scheme to deposit extra sand across the beach to the east of
Boscombe Pier.
See
www.bournemouthsurfreef.co.uk for details of the surf reef
project. |
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To the east of Point House Cafe the cliffs give way to an open grassy
amenity area with low dunes and a sandy shingle beach. Beyond
Warren Hill is Hengistbury Head comprising a 30m cliff composed of
inter-bedded sand, clay and ironstone doggers, fronted by a mixed
beach. Hengistbury Head Long Groyne represents the eastern
boundary of Poole Bay.
 The
flood risk around the majority of the bay is minimal, but low lying
areas exist at Sandbanks and at Double Dykes, adjacent to Hengistbury
Head.
Hengistbury
Head
Hengistbury
Head is an important historic feature and nature reserve for many species
of flora and fauna. This area of coastline is of high ecological
geological and landscape value.
It also forms a natural defence for Christchurch
Harbour. A breach to
the harbour at the Iron Age
defences known as Double Dykes
(a Scheduled Monument of important archaeological interest) would increase flooding and erosion and ultimately
affect the evolution of both Poole and
Christchurch
Bays. The SMP will consider the risk of a breach and take it into account when setting the management
policies for this section of coast.
Coastal management issues at Poole Bay include:
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The monitoring of coastal erosion and flood
risk, with special attention to Double Dykes
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The monitoring of beach levels along the Poole
and Bournemouth frontages
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The monitoring of beach widths and levels at
Sandbanks
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Maintaining the supply of sediments around the
coast to prevent erosion of eel grass beds off Hengistbury Head
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Managing the erosion of cliffs below Warren
Hill to maintain geological exposures and provide sediments to
Christchurch Bay whilst protecting the valuable wildlife habitats they
provide
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Maintenance of sand dune and herbaceous
vegetation habitats for the rare sand lizard and rare coastal plants
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The potential impact of any coastal defence
works on inshore fisheries and offshore wrecks
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The potential impact of coastal defence at
Sandbanks on the harbour entrance and channel.
The 13km shoreline of Poole Bay is currently divided into
just 3 Management Units:
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Process
Unit |
Management
Unit |
Description |
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PBY |
PBY1 |
Sandbanks Ferry
Slipway to Point House Café |
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PBY2 |
Point House Café
to Warren Hill |
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PBY3 |
Warren Hill to
Hengistbury Head Long Groyne |
Management Unit
boundaries
will be reviewed during SMP2.
Administrative Responsibility
Borough of Poole, Bournemouth
Borough Council
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