PLANS have been drawn up to protect a unique stretch of coastline for the future.

East Durham’s shoreline is the only one of its kind in the world thanks to its magnesium make-up and it’s because of this it has special status to protect the land, wildlife and plants.

The Environment Agency has set aside £300,000 to monitor the coast from St Abbs in the Scottish Borders to the Humber Estuary, which will result in a buoy being put in the North Sea to collect wave data, a survey of the sea bed and profiles of beaches being carried out.

Now Durham County Council plans to add to that by carrying out bi-annual surveys along Seaham promenade, capturing the seasonal changes of the beaches and the effects of the waves.

Information gathered will help shape future projects.

The council is already carrying out an urgent condition assessment of the town’s North Pier to establish its condition and estimate its working life.

It has also put together plans for two further studies of the pier, which is only accessible to the town’s angling club and has put £1million aside for works during the 2013/2014 financial year.

The Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), due to be considered by the council’s cabinet today, also details how the cliffs close to the promenade are inspected and that pre and post-winter checks are made of the rock armour sea defences at Featherbed Rocks, Bessie’s Hole, Red Acre Bay and the Chemical Beach.

Members have been asked to back the plan and continued assessment of the pier.

Simon Longstaff, drainage and coastal protection manager, said: “The SMP is an essential tool if we are to protect this valuable asset and reduce the risk to people and the developed, historic and natural environment from coastal erosion, climate change and any rise in sea level.”

The section of coast which includes the harbour is not included in the project because it is in private ownership.

Story by Fiona Thompson in the Sunderland Echo

CAMPAIGNERS behind a petition aimed at saving a historic promenade say they are “very disappointed” they were not allowed to call on councillors for support.

Experts say hundreds of homes on Hartlepool’s Headland, the historic Heugh Gun Battery, St Bega’s Primary School, the lighthouse and the memorial are under threat from coastal erosion within the next 100 years unless millions of pounds is spent on sea defences.

For more information about the campaign please visit http://www.heartlepool.co.uk/

Consultants Mott MacDonald have put forward four coastal defence options, three of which include various ways of strengthening the wall.

But option four –which has angered residents – includes the partial demolition of the sea wall and promenade, adjacent to the Town Moor.

Campaigners had hoped to call on the support of councillors at a recent meeting of the full council.

But their question was rejected by Hartlepool Borough Council’s legal department.

The question was: “Will the Mayor include in the agenda of the first available meeting of full council, a vote for council members with the following motion?:

“We the members of Hartlepool Borough Council vote to have option four removed from the possible options available for consideration from the Hartlepool Coastal Defences, Hartlepool Headlands Structures study.”

Robert Price, 41, is chairman of the Stop the Heart from Being Ripped out of Hartlepool group, which set up the petition.

The dad-of-two, a lawyer, from the Headland, said: “I am very disappointed that the council’s legal section refused to allow my question to be asked.

“I am even more so that they are yet to give me any official reason or indeed any form of official communication.

“I actually think, given the opportunity, most, if not all councillors, would agree that option four is something which shouldn’t even be considered.”

A spokesman for the council said: “The council has written to Mr Price to explain why his question was not put to the full council meeting last week.

“We are currently in the first phase of consultation and it would be inappropriate for members of the full council to interfere with the process and eliminate any options at this stage.

“There will be plenty of opportunities for Mr Price and other residents to feed in their views as part of the consultation process.”

Copies of the petition are available to sign in Headland pubs and the Hartlepool Mail reception, in Wesley Square.

A letter outlining their concerns has also been sent to the consultants.

One public meeting, attended by dozens of concerned residents, has already been held at the Fishermans Arms pub, on the Headland.

Residents will also be attending a ward surgery meeting on Tuesday, August 30, at the Borough Hall between 6pm-8pm.

Story in the Hartlepool Mail

CONCERNED residents have launched a petition against coastal defence plans which could see the partial demolition of an historic promenade.

Hundreds of homes on Hartlepool’s Headland, the historic Heugh Gun Battery, St Bega’s Primary School, the lighthouse and the memorial are under threat from coastal erosion within the next 100 years unless millions of pounds is spent on sea defences.

Hartlepool Borough Council brought in Mott MacDonald consultants to examine the first lines of defence and they have put forward four options, three of which include various ways of strengthening the sea wall.

But it is the fourth – and cheapest option – to demolish the sea wall and promenade, adjacent to the Town Moor, that has angered residents.

Dozens crammed into The Fisherman’s Arms pub on Saturday to voice their anger.

Robert Price, 41, is chairman of the Stop the Heart from Being Ripped out of Hartlepool group, which set up the petition.

He said: “There is clearly a real strength of feeling against option four. The Town Moor and the promenade are essential to the Headland.

“The main aim of the group is to remove option four from the consultation as it is entirely inappropriate,” added the dad-of-two, a lawyer, from the Headland.

Members also plan to submit a question calling for councillors to support their cause at a meeting of the full council in August.

A letter outlining their concerns will also be sent to Mayor Stuart Drummond, the consultants, Defra and council officers.

Residents also moved to quash flooding fears.

Peter Murray, 43, who runs a haulage business in town, said: “There was complete agreement from everyone at the meeting that option four is not an option.

“Removal of the sea defence will expose what is already likely to be a fragile cliff face.

“That would leave the Town Moor undefended and subject to high rates of coastal erosion.

“You cannot have flooding in an area of land that is above sea level and which does not have any rivers or gorges,” added the married dad-of-two, who lives in Radcliffe Terrace.

Noel Cornforth, 50, who lives with wife Pauline, 54, in Cliff Terrace, said: “This is about protecting the heritage of the Headland.”

Pauline added: “Everyone in town is going to be affected by this as the promenade and Town Moor are popular.”

Derek Lowther, 53, of Beaconsfield Street, said: “I was disgusted that option four was even an option.

“Most people know that the promenade was built to stop the erosion because the cliff face was not sound.”

Concerned residents will also be attending a Headland Parish Council meeting on Tuesday at 6.45pm at the Borough Hall and a ward surgery meeting on Tuesday, August 30, at the same venue between 6pm and 8pm.

Independent councillor John Marshall, of St Hilda ward, is hoping to get senior officers and civic leaders to attend.

Copies of the petition are available in Headland pubs. For more information about the campaign visit www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk and select the link at the bottom of this story.

Story in the Hartlepool Mail

PARTS of Hartlepool’s crumbling coastline could disappear into the sea unless millions of pounds in funding can be found to make essential repairs.

Experts have described the condition of some sections of the coastline as the worst they have ever seen, with piers, walls, footpaths and steps all under threat of collapse.

Hartlepool Council has an annual budget of £320,000 to maintain and repair breaches to coastal defences but the estimated bill to carry out the major repair work stands at a staggering £41m.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s director of neighbourhood services, Dave Stubbs, said: “In terms of erosion, this is the worst I have ever seen it.

“The Victorians did a lot for us but they failed to provide adequate foundations for our coastal defences.

“Without substantial government funding we are facing serious erosion.”

Threat to Coastline

SECTIONS of Hartlepool’s crumbling coastline could be lost forever unless millions of pounds of funding can be found to make essential repairs.

Hartlepool Borough Council has an annual budget of £320,000 to maintain and repair breaches to coastal defences.

However, the bill to carry out the major work that will secure the long-term future of certain sections of the coastline stands at almost £41m.

Rising sea levels and waves from the North Sea have battered the coastline for years and that, coupled with less sand protection, means some sections of the coast have been left in serious danger of collapse.

The North Pier needs £600,000 to prevent it from disintegrating into the sea and £17m for a complete repair.

Meanwhile, part of the Headland’s Town Moor could be washed into the sea unless £21m worth of funding can be secured to protect its long term future.

Grant aid from the Environment Agency is handed out on a case by case basis but the process is very complex and lengthy.

It can take up to five years for construction work to begin once a project has been identified and that is based on a positive response being given at each stage.

Council officers say there are a number of coastal authorities in the same boat competing with each other for funding.

The council’s budget, which has actually increased from just £80,000 two years ago, also pays for promenade and fencing repairs. The average cost of a standard coastal defence breach is around the £90,000 mark.

The favoured and cheapest method of protecting the six miles of coastline, that the council is responsible for, is by installing rock armour.

However, it costs £10,000 for every 3ft of rock armour.

The staggering facts about the town’s coastline came to light at a meeting of the council’s neighbourhood services scrutiny forum.

The council is responsible for protecting its stretch of coastline from erosion by the sea, while the Environment Agency is responsible for sea defence structures which prevent flooding of land which is lower than sea level.

Expert consultants are currently carrying out a Seaton Carew study, at a cost of £716,000, and a Town Wall study at a cost of £482,000.

Both studies are being paid for by grant aid from the Environment Agency but that doesn’t guarantee any future funding for repairs.

Funding is provided on a priority basis and bids are submitted from council’s across the country.

The scrutiny forum held its first meeting earlier this year and the findings of its three month investigation are due to be published in April.

Councillors hope to gain an understanding of the problems caused by coastal erosion, to assess the long-term viability of the existing sea defences and to explore what can be done to prevent erosion.

The forum is due to meet again in March following site visits this month.

Cash short for ‘worst ever’

COUNCIL chiefs claim the level of coastal erosion is the worst they have ever seen but say their hands are tied when it comes to securing funding to tackle the problem.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s director of neighbourhood services, Dave Stubbs, said: “We are not trying to scaremonger but it is important that the facts are known.

“We are no different to any other local coastal authority and without substantial Government funding then we are facing serious erosion, particularly in the north and south areas of town.

“In terms of erosion this is the worst I have ever seen it. The Victorians did a lot for us but they failed to provide adequate foundations for our coastal defences.”

Mr Stubbs added: “The North Pier is the most at risk structure and the highest priority for repairs.

“It needs another half a million pounds worth of repairs just to stop it disintegrating and placing the Marina infrastructure at risk. It is increasingly difficult to obtain grant aid for capital projects and it is almost impossible to maintain coast protection assets and public access to them without grant aid.”

The council’s engineering manager, Alan Coulson, said the loss of sand from the town’s beaches has also contributed to the erosion of coastal defences.

Mr Coulson, said: “I have been working for the local authority for the past 12 years and in the past five years the situation has really deteriorated. It is the loss of the sand that has really contributed because that gives the coastal defences a lot of protection.”

Councillors have also raised concerns about the length of time it can take to secure funding after the initial problems have been highlighted.

Forum chairman Coun Stephen Akers-Belcher said: “I’m concerned about the amount of time taken by Government to distribute funding and I think we should look to put forward Hartlepool’s case more strongly.

“We need to lobby Government before we lose some of our historical areas such as the Town Wall.”

Labour councillor Gladys Worthy, of the Rift House ward, said: “We are talking about millions of pounds that is needed and where is that money going to come from?

“We need it now to secure the future for the next generation.”

Swallowed up by sinking prom

COASTAL erosion was blamed for an incident that saw a mum-of-two fall down a 6ft hole while she was walking her dog along the seafront.

Millions of pounds of investment is needed to prevent another incident like the one where Hartlepool woman Pamela Bamford fell through a section of Seaton Carew promenade.

The mum-of-two, of Meryl Gardens, in the Fens area of town, thanked her lucky stars that her injuries weren’t more serious after she escaped with cuts and bruises.

The cleaning supervisor at Brierton Community School fell into the hole with eight-stone pet dog Tosh landing on top of her.

Her cries for help were unheard and she only managed to clamber to safety after struggling for 10 minutes.

The collapse happened on the stretch of promenade opposite the Norton Hotel where the north shelter used to be.

At the time Mrs Bamford told the Mail: “It was unbelievable what happened. I just thank my lucky stars I am still here to tell the tale.

“Tosh likes to go down on to the sand, but the tide was in. So I was stood at the top of the steps that lead down to the beach just watching the waves lap up.

“I was there for a minute or so, then the next thing I knew the path opened up beneath me and I fell straight into the hole.

“The dog landed on top of me. I was frantic and I panicked.”

She added: “I honestly thought I was going to die. The more I was scrambling to get out, the deeper the hole was getting because the path was just built on sand.

“I eventually got out and I think it was just the sheer fear.”

Mrs Bamford, who was 44 at the time of the accident, was taken to hospital by husband Francis and son Peter.

The area was immediately sealed off by council officers who blamed the collapse on natural coastal erosion.

Areas at risk

COUNCIL officers have outlined four options for the North Pier and they include:
NORTH PIER, HARTLEPOOL MARINA

• Do nothing. But that would cause a risk of collapse and damage to the Marina.
• £600,000 to stabilise the fabric of the structure.
• £2.5m to stabilise the pier and prevent wave overtopping.
• £17m to carry out a complete repair of the pier and for it to be open to the public.

SPION KOP CEMETERY AREA, OLD CEMETERY ROAD

COUNCIL officers can either do nothing, which would lead to the erosion of the coastline, up to and including the cemetery, and that will take between 50 and 100 years.

Or they could invest £120,000 to appoint a specialist to come up with a series of innovative solutions to the problem, which could include off-shore breakwaters.

TOWN MOOR AREA OF THE HEADLAND

APART from the Town Wall area, the remaining Headland structures, including the Town Moor, do not meet the Environment Agency’s criteria for grant aided funding.

Council officers have highlighted three options for the Town Moor area:

• Do nothing: This would lead to continuous erosion and the eventual loss of the Town Moor, which would be speeded up if a serious breach happened.
• Spend £2.6m to stabilise the area for the next 10 years by making short-term repairs.
• The third option would see £21m being invested on the reconstruction of the coastal structures which could give protection for the next 100 years.

PROMENADE, RAMPS AND STEPS ALONG THE COASTLINE

• IF much needed work is not carried out then it could lead to facilities closing, unsightly fencing being erected and restricted public access to the beaches.
• Around £1.1m is needed to make short term repairs to increase the lifespan of some areas for between eight and 10 years.
• Finally, around £2.8m is needed for the reconstruction and repair of sections of promenade, ramps and steps, to increase the lifespan by 25 years.

Stories in the Hartlepool Mail