A new harbour could be created on the county’s coastline as part of a new coastal defence strategy.

It would be similar to wildlife-rich Pagham Harbour, a designated local nature reserve, just a few miles away, and the county maintains it would have a ‘positive impact’ for generations to come – according to West Sussex County Council.

But the authority’s comments, made in response to a new Pagham to East Head coastal strategy, come with a warning about concerns over national funding mechanisms for coastal defence, which could cause problems over such a project. (more…)

Deadline day has passed for residents to submit their views on the plans for coastal defence between Pagham and East Head.

More than 1,000 people attended exhibitions held by the Environment Agency (EA) for the Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy. (more…)

Further coastal defences along the Felpham and Middleton frontages could be proposed. The latest proposals to hold back the sea will be contained in the new River Arun to Pagham coastal defence strategy. (more…)

More than 1,200 people made their views known about plans to tackle flood and erosion in West Sussex.

About 1,000 residents visited four exhibitions on the draft Pagham to East Head coastal defence strategy between May and August. (more…)

Bulldozers have been brought in at Medmerry to bolster its sea defences in preparation for some of the highest tides of the year.

The shingle bank at the low-lying area of Medmerry will be strengthened by the Environment Agency (EA) to prevent damage from the sea this autumn. (more…)

DIRECTORS of a thriving beach resort have thrown their weight behind controversial sea defence proposals for East Head and West Wittering and are urging others to follow in their footsteps.

Managers at the West Wittering Estate have given the thumbs-up to the Environment Agency’s (EA) plans to protect the coastline by adaptive management.

They also want to see East Head and Snowhill Creek safeguarded. The EA’s recommendations are outlined in the Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy.

Read the full story in the West Sussex County Times

Bolstering Pagham’s sea defences needs to be done urgently, a senior county councillor has said.

Cllr Deborah Urquhart said: “This is a high priority because decisions will need to be made quickly to ensure a satisfactory standard of defence is maintained at Pagham beach.”

It was important to understand the coastal processes that were putting 160 properties on Pagham beach and a further 350 nearby properties at risk of flooding.

Quick fixes which could make the long-term situation worse should be avoided. (more…)

Plans to protect the future of Chichester Harbour have been supported by the group responsible for maintaining it.

The Chichester Harbour Conservancy has agreed to support the Coastal Defence Strategy for the East Head frontage.

The strategy, commissioned by Chichester District Council, the Environment Agency and Arun District Council, aims to protect the harbour from the threat of flooding. (more…)

Findings from a Manhood Going Dutch II workshop will be presented at a public community event on Tuesday.

The workshop, to be run by the Manhood Peninsula Partnership from Sunday to Tuesday, is designed to bring international experts and local people together to look at ways of dealing with local coastal defence issues.

It is scheduled to coincide with the consultation period for the draft coastal defence strategy prepared by the Environment Agency and Chichester and Arun District Councils.

Partnership chairman Cllr Peter Jones said the community was invited to make suggestions on how to manage the coastline, and numerous responses had been received.

“These suggestions, along with the options stated in the draft strategy, will be assessed by our Dutch and British delegates over three days,” he added.

“The experts’ findings will be presented at Earnley Concourse on June 24, and the Manhood community are invited to attend to hear what our delegates have concluded. It looks to be an interesting and important event.”

Spaces for the final presentation are limited and entrance to the event will be by ticket only.

Story in the Chichester Observer

Protecting Medmerry’s sea defences would be only ‘fighting against nature’.

That is the verdict of James Humphrys, Solent and South Downs area manager for the Environment Agency (EA), on the crumbling sea defences for the area in Selsey.

The EA announced its proposals to move the sea defence boundaries at Medmerry and carry out controlled flooding for the area over the next century.

The Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy was announced on May 29 and in it the EA proposed to sustain Selsey’s sea defences.

“We all feel a deep wish to provide total protection for everybody all the time,” said Mr Humphrys.

“The reality is we can’t do that. We have a limited amount of money.”

The coast is divided into different stretches because of the different states and populations of each area.

The EA said it was in talks with Bunn Leisure about how they could both work together to find a solution for protecting Medmerry and the holiday park.

Mr Humphrys said: “In some parts of the peninsula it is actually fighting against nature and that’s not something we can continue to do. With Medmerry there is a lot of low-lying land with a very low population density. We will make arrangements with landowners about our proposals.”

Story in the Chichester Observer