Sea defence campaigners and residents have had the chance to shape the future of Medmerry after updated discussions with the Environment Agency (EA) about coastal protection.

During a meeting at Selsey Town Hall, residents had the opportunity to come up with their own ideas on how they wanted to protect Medmerry, where homes have been close to crumbling and being lost to the sea for good.

It was decided the option of managed realignment would be carried out at the coastal village in the EA’s Pagham to East Head Coastal Defence Strategy introduced last year. (more…)

Coastal defences that currently protect huge swathes of farm land, natural habitat and housing are to be moved inland, allowing the sea to flood into low-lying areas.

In some parts of the country, householders and land owners have been told they face spending millions of pounds of their own money to build and repair flood defences to try to protect their property. (more…)

THE FINAL sea defence plans for coastlines in the area have been rubber-stamped by Chichester District Council.

During a full council meeting at the Selsey Centre, Manor Road, the final recommendations for the Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy were discussed.

The majority of councillors voted to adopt the sea defences policies as the coast protection authority for the area and support the plans, which are drawn up by the Environment Agency. (more…)

FINAL plans for the Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy have been drawn up.

The flood barriers at Medmerry will be moved further inland which will protect the western side of Selsey, Earnley and secure the B2145 road sewage works.

Sea defences at Selsey, East Wittering, Bracklesham and Cakeham will be strengthened as the sea levels rise. (more…)

Sea defence campaigners have branded Natural England’s (NE) policies ‘crazy’ as the final touches are being made to the Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy.

The Environment Agency (EA) is just weeks away from releasing the final plans for the draft strategy.

But Save Our Selsey (SOS) campaigners fear the EA is being ‘restrained’ by NE. (more…)

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…)

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…)

Controversial plans to flood Medmerry and shift its sea defences over the next century have been backed by district councillors – to save Selsey.

The community representatives threw their weight behind the proposals outlined in the Pagham to East Head Coastal Defence Strategy.

They agreed that without moving the defences further inland, they risked losing Selsey, described as a ‘£1bn asset’, to the sea. (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