Porthtowan surf club’s new beach base is built to move

Planning permission has been granted for a new home for Porthtowan Surf Life Saving Club, and it comes with a detail most new buildings never need built in from the start: this one is designed so it can be picked up and moved.

What’s been approved

The club has confirmed that planning permission is through for new premises on Porthtowan beach, replacing the existing building with what it calls modern, resilient lifesaving facilities. The new base will give the club a home of its own for club activities, while continuing to support the RNLI lifeguard service on the beach for generations to come.

It’s a milestone the club has been working towards for some time, and one it says would not have happened without everyone who supported the project, contributed, offered advice or helped it along the way.

📷Credit: Porthtowan Surf Life Saving Club

A building made to move

The replacement is being built as a modular structure, which means it can be relocated in future rather than fixed permanently in one spot. The club says that flexibility is there deliberately, to build in resilience against a changing climate and the sea level rise predicted for the Cornish coast in the years ahead.

Backed by a wider coastal project

The new building is being supported by the Making Space for Sand project, funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. The programme is managed by the Environment Agency and delivered by the Cornwall Council project team.

Planning permission is only one step. There is, the club says, still plenty of work ahead before the new building takes shape on the beach, but for now it’s treating the go-ahead as a moment worth celebrating.

📷Credit: Porthtowan Surf Life Saving Club