Lyme Regis Cobb Harbour and
Breakwater Repairs and Refurbishment
Client:
West Dorset
District Council
Location:
Dorset, UK
Date:
2017 - ongoing
Challenge
A recent structural survey of the Cobb found
that it was suffering from serious scour and
undermining in many areas as well as structural
movement. It has been estimated that without
intervention failure of the Cobb is likely to
occur in approximately 20-30 years, leaving 60
properties exposed to coastal erosion.
johan.skanberg-tippen@jbaconsulting.com | 01444 473 652 | graham.kenn@jbaconsulting.com
www.jbaconsulting.com | @JBAConsulting | JBA Consulting
Click to email Johan
Skanberg-Tippen
Coastal and
Maritime Engineer
The Cobb Harbour and breakwater is the oldest example of this type of structure in the UK with the
original elements dating back to the 12th century. Today the Cobb provides coastal erosion protection to
60 homes and businesses within Lyme Regis, as well as being the home for an active commercial fishing
fleet, a leisure vessel fleet, an aquarium and a RNLI Lifeboat station.
West Dorset District Council commissioned a
project to develop the design for repairs to the
Cobb whilst also wishing to deliver commercial
and recreational amenity upgrades.
Given the structures listed status it was
imperative that any interventions were sensitive
to the historic nature of the structure, balancing
the needs for improvement against heritage
impact and cost.
Coastal
engineering