KIAWAH ISLAND — Plans to build a wall that would eventually allow homes to be built on Captain Sam’s Spit — a teardrop-shaped isthmus at the end of this barrier island — have again been struck down by the S.C. Supreme Court.

The decision is a win for South Carolina conservationists in the long-running legal battle and carries far-reaching implications for how the state reviews development permits along the rapidly changing coast in the age of sea level rise.

The court ruled the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control erred in issuing permits for a 2,380-foot steel wall along the narrow neck connecting Captain Sam’s to Kiawah.

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