THE next stage in a project to remove all man-made structures from a popular Purbeck beach will start this month.

As part of the scheme, the National Trust is removing the concrete foundations of a former café, toilets and other structures from the undercliff at Middle Beach, Studland.

Work is set to get underway on the removal on September 11, taking around two weeks.

The buildings themselves were removed in April because the cliff below them is gradually falling into the sea.

A new food outlet, the Salty Salt Pig, and toilets were built further inland.

Over time, the Trust said its vision is that the site will ‘rejuvenate to form a beautiful natural cove that locals and visitors can enjoy’, as well as being ‘an enhanced habitat for wildlife, including rare sand lizards’.

Tracey Churcher, National Trust general manager for Purbeck, said: “We had to remove the buildings because erosion was chipping away at the cliff underneath them and they would have become hazardous.

“We need to do this work while it’s still safe to access the site. Studland’s whole coastline is constantly changing, but especially at Middle Beach where erosion is accelerated by heavy rainfall and storm surges.”

The work to remove the foundations of the buildings was delayed until September to minimise the impact on beach-goers during busy periods, and also to avoid disturbing sand lizards during the egg-laying period.

“We apologise for any unavoidable disturbance caused by these necessary works,” Tracey added.

“The café, toilets and footpath to the beach will remain open, and we hope to complete this phase within a couple of weeks.”

The last phase of works, to remove the collapsing stone gabion baskets and rock armour that were built as sea defences, is planned for next year.