Holiday Park Owner Builds Massive £300,000 Sea Wall to Protect Cliffside Restaurant in Westward Ho After Council Refuses Funding

A Devon holiday park owner has taken matters into his own hands, spending around £300,000 to build a sea wall after local authorities declined to fund coastal protection for his cliffside property.

Rob Braddick, who runs the Pier View and Braddick Holiday Park in Westward Ho!, was left with little choice as erosion continued to eat away at the land supporting his long-standing restaurant and surrounding facilities.

Growing Threat From the Sea

The coastline around Mr Braddick’s business has been steadily breaking down over time, with serious warning signs appearing years ago.

A major portion of the car park was lost to the sea two years back, raising alarm over the long-term safety of the site.

Flooding has also been a recurring issue. In one incident, seawater rushed into the arcade beneath the restaurant, highlighting how exposed the cliffside location had become.

With a public footpath running close to the edge, Mr Braddick had hoped that the local council would contribute toward the cost of protecting the area, but that support did not materialise.

Choosing to Act Despite Financial Strain

After years of uncertainty and waiting on approvals, the businessman decided to move forward with the project himself.

He described the decision as necessary, even though it came at a difficult time for the hospitality industry.

He explained that without intervention, continued erosion could eventually destroy the car park—and once that happened, repairing or saving the restaurant would become far more difficult.

Although the investment is significant, Mr Braddick believes delaying action would have been a bigger risk.

A Carefully Designed Sea Defence

The ongoing project involves constructing a 187-foot flood defence using specially made pre-cast concrete blocks designed to resemble natural stone.

Each of the 57 blocks costs around £1,200 and has been painted a buffalo brown colour to blend in with the surrounding cliffside.

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The blocks are being lowered into place using a crane and secured by drilling them several metres into the rock, then linking them together for stability.

The construction is expected to take about eight weeks and is being described by Mr Braddick as a “high-end” or “premium” effort to ensure long-term protection.

A Family Legacy at Risk

The Pier View restaurant has stood on the cliff since 1947 and has been in Mr Braddick’s family for five generations.

For him, the project is about more than just business—it’s about preserving a legacy.

He noted that if the car park were to disappear, the business would lose the foundation needed to maintain and repair the restaurant in the future.

Planning, Delays, and Approvals

Before work could begin, the project required extensive planning permission and approval from multiple bodies, including local authorities, environmental agencies, and national conservation organisations.

The process reportedly took around two years, reflecting the complexity of balancing development with environmental considerations in a coastal area.

Impact and Consequences

This situation highlights the financial burden that private landowners can face when coastal erosion threatens their properties.

Without public funding support, individuals may be left to shoulder large-scale infrastructure costs themselves.

It also raises broader questions about responsibility for protecting shared coastlines, especially in areas where public access and private ownership overlap.

For the business itself, the investment represents a major financial risk—but also a safeguard. Without the sea wall, the property could have faced serious damage or even closure within a few years.

What’s Next?

With construction already underway, the project is expected to be completed within weeks.

Once finished, Mr Braddick hopes the sea wall will protect the property for decades to come—possibly up to 100 years.

He has also expressed confidence that future generations of his family will continue to run the business under the protection of the new structure.

Meanwhile, local authorities have reiterated that their focus remains on broader, public coastal defence schemes in the area rather than individual private projects.

Summary

A long-standing cliffside business in Devon is now being protected by a privately funded sea wall after years of coastal erosion and repeated flooding.

Despite the high cost and lack of council funding, the owner has moved forward with construction to secure the future of his family-run restaurant and surrounding facilities.

Bulleted Takeaways

• A holiday park owner spent around £300,000 on a sea wall to protect his cliffside restaurant
• Local authorities declined to fund the project, leaving the responsibility to the property owner
• Severe coastal erosion had already damaged parts of the car park and caused flooding incidents
• The restaurant has been in the same family since 1947, spanning five generations
• The sea wall uses pre-cast concrete blocks designed to blend into the natural cliff
• The project took about two years to get approvals from multiple agencies
• Construction is expected to be completed within eight weeks
• The owner hopes the defence will protect the property for up to 100 years
• The situation highlights the financial and environmental challenges of coastal property ownership