Coastal homes at threat from sea

HOMES in Connel and Appin could be among more than 280 dwellings in Argyll and Bute which will be swallowed by the sea within decades, a new study has warned.

A map produced by academics from Glasgow University as part of the study shows some of the dwellings at risk are also in Craobh Haven, Mull, Tiree, Islay, Jura, Campbeltown, Lochgilphead areas, and on Arran.

Argyll and Bute tops a league table of councils in the study most vulnerable to coastal erosion with 286 homes considered as high risk.

Academics predict infrastructure worth billions could be damaged by erosion in Scotland unless urgent action is taken to bolster sea defences or make society more resilient to climate change.

But Dr Jim Hansom, co-author of the study, said the good news for Argyll and Bute is that it has ‘plenty of space’.

‘Argyll and Bute has plenty of space for adaptation and sustainable solutions that other more urban areas do not, so it’s a good news story,’ he said.

Argyll and Bute has the space for working with nature solutions to provide sustainable defences instead of using other structural solutions such as concrete.

Dr Hansom added: ‘Working with nature may involve beach feeding with sand and gravels to enhance beach volumes, or stabilising frontal dunes by planting, but a more sustainable route may be to move assets and communities away from hazardous sites to more sustainable locations, like rerouting a coastal parallel road, say on Tiree, or moving houses inland or higher.’