TEIGNMOUTH'S vital £4million flood wall scheme could be completed by late summer next year, the chief designer has predicted.

It is feared the project to protect the low lying town centre from being inundated by the sea from the harbour and back beach area, could be one of the casualties of the government cuts.

But Steve Barge, the design team leader from Atkins & Peter Brett Associates, said the partnership involved in the scheme were optimistic it would go ahead.

Funding for the design stage and a planning application had been approved, and 'with a fair wind' work could start later this year and be finished by spring next year.

And pioneering techniques used on the soon to be completed £8.5million Shaldon flood scheme, will probably be used at Teignmouth and other schemes across the country.

Mr Barge told the Teign estuary and coastal annual forum at the passage House Hotel, Kingsteignton, on Tuesday that although sea levels had increased little over the last 70 years, scientists were predicting a

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more rapid rise of up to one metre in the next 100 years. He warned that Teignmouth town centre, which was in a bowl, could be flooded rapidly from the estuary side, affecting hundreds of properties, both residential and commercial.

The new wall would be about a metre high, and he pointed out that the foundations would be strong enough for the height to be increased in future if necessary.

'If levels are not rising so fast, we do not need to do any more,' he replied to one sceptic who questioned whether levels were increasing.

He allayed fears that the structure would be an eyesore, saying there would be a range of finishes, including brick, render, and timber, just like Shaldon 'where you would struggle to see any concrete'.

Parts of the existing structure would be utilised into the scheme, along with the new sections.

Mr Barge stressed they would be consulting with the community to design a scheme that would blend in with the foreshore, and revealed that some of the innovative techniques developed at Shaldon would be incorporated, including toughened glass windows and doors into properties along the back beach.

The meeting also heard an update on the Shaldon seawall from the Interserve construction team. The mile long defences had presented challenging problems because of the narrow streets, but the engineers had consulted with the community and kept it fully informed of what was going on.

Workers had gone out of their way to ensure the minimum of disruption, especially in the high summer season, and the scheme was due to finish in mid-April, said Dominic Ball, the sub-agent.

Glass panels that would stand up to a battering from waves and debris had been incorporated into some parts of the wall to preserve views, and also used in a conservatory which was right on the shoreline.

'This is the first time this had been done in a flood defence scheme, and could be copied around the country. We have also incorporated little pockets into some sections of the wall to encourage use by wildlife,' Mr Ball added.

Interserve has been nominated for a national award for its consideration of the residents and the environment. Its work at Shaldon is shortlisted in the Considerate Constructors Scheme, aimed at improving the image of the industry.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency confirmed that money had been allocated for the Teignmouth scheme, but was subject to final approval from the south west flood defence committee, the agency and obtaining planning consent.