Cliffs threat to Old Town yacht club

AN 800-page report into the safety of cliffs in Hastings has revealed them to be unsafe in some areas.

The report, which along with any necessary work will cost the council 900,000, said the cliffs above the Hastings Motorboat and Yacht Club on Rock-a-Nore Road were unstable and could fall in the near future.

However, work is being planned for before the summer to secure them. The work will involve people abseiling down the cliffs and removing the unstable rocks by hand.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The cliffs beyond the end of Rock-a-Nore Road towards towards Fairlight are also unsafe and the council is putting up extra warning signs and possibly fencing to deter people from walking along the beach at that point.

Kevin Boorman, marketing chief for the council, said an engineer is checking the cliffs on a weekly basis with further checks after rain and frost - time when rocks are more likely to fall.

He said: "We had a very detailed structural survey carried out which has identified a number of areas that need an amount of work doing in the near future." He said no other buildings or homes in the area are under threat from cliff falls.

Hastings Motorboat and Yacht Club Commodore John Noakes, said he is going to move the boats nearest the cliff in case of any rock falls.

He said: "We are going to carry on as normal. We live with the risk all of the time and we are quite happy as long as the council is happy."

Related topics: