Last updated 20 September 2026.

The Tank Memorial car park at Torcross is closed to the public. The Environment Agency took it over at the start of September 2026 as the working compound for the rock armour sea defence scheme that will protect the village and the road behind it, and it is expected to stay closed until the work finishes in spring 2027.

If you are planning a visit to Torcross or Slapton Sands between now and then, here is what that means and where to park instead.

What is happening, and when

The contractor mobilised in the first week of September 2026 and the car park closed to public access on the 7th. The first rock deliveries to the beach are expected from around 17 October, with the main rock armour work running through the winter, roughly four to five months. The car park and the slipway are due to be finished in spring 2027. The public footpath along the front is being kept open around the back of the compound, so you can still walk through the village and along the seafront.

Where to park instead

The lay-by on the front at Torcross. South Hams District Council increased the maximum stay to four hours from 11 September 2026 and brought the low season tariff in immediately: £1.60 for an hour, £2.60 for two hours, £3.70 for three and £5.20 for four.

Slapton Sands, a mile and a half north along the Slapton Line. The Slapton Memorial car park charges 80p an hour or £5.50 all day in low season, 1 November to 24 March, and £1.10 an hour or £6.50 all day in high season, 25 March to 31 October. Maximum stay is fourteen hours, it closes between 10pm and 6am, the PayByPhone code is 810460, and there is a 1.9 metre height barrier.

Stokeley Farm Shop at Stokenham, a couple of minutes up the road. Free for the first two hours for shoppers and cafe customers, £3 for up to four hours otherwise, and £5 all day.

Parking at Slapton Sands and walking south along the shingle ridge is the better arrival anyway. It is flat, it takes about half an hour, and you have the Ley on one side and Start Bay on the other the whole way.

Getting onto the beach

Beach access is changing as the work goes on. The northern slipway is being extended and will become the main route down onto the beach. Access at the southern end is still being worked through, so check locally before you rely on it.

If you are staying in the village

Most of this stops being a problem if you are not day tripping. No. 2 at the Beach has private parking, so you arrive once, put the car down and walk for the rest of the week. The Start Bay Inn is thirty seconds away, the coast path to Beesands starts at the end of the village, and Slapton Ley is five minutes on foot.

This page is kept up to date as the scheme progresses. Stokenham Parish Council and the Environment Agency publish the official updates if you want to check the latest position before you travel.