CAMPAIGNERS say they will fight on following the decision by the Environment Agency to allow Cuckmere Haven to revert to a tidal floodplain.

Wednesday’s announcement that it will be withdrawing flood protection for the river banks has sparked angry calls for a public inquiry.

The iconic landscape of the meanders will be lost to future generations but the agency says the decision will allow the estuary to adapt to the impacts of climate change and will bring major benefits to visitors and wildlife.

The Envjronment Agency spends £50,000 a year to remove shingle from the mouth of the river and says climate change, the rise in sea levels and human intervention have put the estuary under increasing pressure.

Existing flood defences are not high enough to cope with sea level rises.

But the move has been slammed by MPs Norman Baker and Nigel Waterson.

Mr Waterson said: ‘Unfortunately the Environment Agency seem determined to abandon this very special area to the sea. They have not provided the detailed results of the consultation and I demand that they are published; but we do know that this unique natural feature is hugely popular with local people and visitors alike.

‘They claim that nothing will happen immediately. But in the same breath they say they will not repair damage caused by severe storms.

One such storm could weaken the existing defences to such an extent that the sea could pour in. And there is a real risk of the A259 being cut by flooding.’

Mr Waterson said he was writing to government ministers demanding an public inquiry.

Slamming the decision as ‘hugely controversial and undemocratic’, Mr Baker said: ‘The Environment Agency is an unelected body and therefore has no popular mandate for the controversial course of action it wishes to pursue. They may well feel they have a good case, but then experts on the other side of the argument feel likewise.

‘That is why I have long argued that the proposal to allow the estuary to flood must be subject to some sort of external validation by an independent element, perhaps through a public inquiry. It is highly regrettable that the Agency has not accepted the need to do this.’

Responding to the news, the Cuckmere Estuary Partnership said local councils, heritage and conservation agencies had joined forces to protect the Cuckmere Estuary, and would be seeking the views of residents and local businesses about its long-term future.

The partnership want to see a more managed approach to ensure people can continue to enjoy access and recreation in the Cuckmere Haven while allowing the gradual return to a naturally functioning estuary system.

Spokeswoman Kate Cole said: ‘We can’t ignore this problem. The current defences are reaching the end of their natural life, and water levels already reach the top of the banks at high tide.

‘We don’t want to rule out any options, and we are actively encouraging everyone who cares about the Estuary to share their views. Our current thinking is that a managed realignment process would be best for wildlife, residents and visitors, and the local economy.’

Story in the Mid Sussex Times

Current flood defences are not high enough to cope with sea level rises at the Cuckmere Estuary in East Sussex and each year the agency spends tens of thousands of pounds removing shingle from the mouth of the river.

Now it has decided to allow the sea to reclaim the popular landmark in a move that will see the valley return to the tidal floodplain it was back in the 1840s.

Campaigners said they are pressing for a more managed approach and that allowing the area to flood would harm wildlife, footpaths and parts of the local beach.

But the Environment Agency said that climate change, sea level rises and past interference by man have put the Cuckmere Estuary under increasing pressure.

Read the full story on the Telegraph website

A MP has renewed his call for a public inquiry into plans to turn Cuckmere Valley into a tidal floodplain.

The Environment Agency announced on Wednesday that it would allow the East Sussex valley to flood, turning it into a salt marsh nature reserve.

It said climate change meant its flood risk management had to change.

Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson said he was writing to the government to demand a “proper public inquiry” and he wanted the consultation details published.

Read the full story on the BBC News website