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.

New defences would be built inland, improving protection for 951 homes over the next 100 years.

Residents had the chance to submit where they would like to see the sea defence boundaries moved.

“We received quite a mixture of responses, but people have been very positive,” said EA’s project manager for realignment at Medmerry, Joe Pearce.

“Opportunities have been presented to us and we need to incorporate habitats for species into the scheme. The boundaries need to improve long-term protection.”

The Pagham to East Head Coastal Defence Strategy was approved by Chichester and Arun District Councils in October 2008 and is now in the final stages of gaining EA approval.

The managed realignment scheme would give additional protection to key infrastructure in Selsey, including the B2145 road, the wastewater treatment works north of Selsey and electricity substations.

The need for new intertidal habitat to replace losses across the Solent has been recognised as a pressing issue which can be addressed through the scheme.

This has enabled the EA to negotiate with owners and purchase more than 500 hectares of the land.

The EA has also spoken to John Bunn, managing director of Bunn Leisure, and his consultants about sea defences.

Mr Bunn has opted to privately fund his own protection of his business on the coast of Selsey, which lies next to Medmerry.

Story in the West Sussex Gazette

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.

Among the areas affected are Medmerry, a popular tourist destination, near Selsey, West Sussex, where 612 acres are to be surrendered to the encroaching sea, and East Head, another nearby beauty spot where residents have been told their homes will no longer be protected.

Along the Humber estuary, around 800 homes scattered along the shoreline are to be left at the mercy of the sea within the next 20 years. At the end of that period, a further 1,000 properties in the area will be allowed to flood, including parts of the villages of Kilnsea and Sunk Island. In East Sussex, 260 acres of the picturesque valley of Cuckmere Estuary will also be lost over the next 15 years.

The new strategies have been drawn up by the Environment Agency, the government body with national responsibility for flooding, as it cannot afford to maintain all of the country’s 2,500 miles of coastal defences in the face of rising sea levels.

Instead, officials are drawing up detailed plans for the entire coast of England and Wales to decide where protection can be withdrawn.

The controversial move, however, has threatened to leave thousands of houses and acres of farmland vulnerable to flooding or even permanently underwater within the next 20 years without any form of compensation.

In some areas, the Environment Agency has said that it will repair and maintain defences only if landowners and residents cover the costs themselves. Home owners could also build their own defences, provided they meet planning and environmental rules.

John Bunn, managing director of Bunn Leisure, a holiday cottage and caravan park owner in the Medmerry area, said they had been forced to spend £1.5 million on flood defences that were completed this year and are planning another £10 million of work over the next two years.

“Our mile of seafront is as much a part of our infrastructure as the facilities we offer and I’m passionate about preserving both.

“Chronic underinvestment in sea defences for more than a decade has put us in the position of having to take matters on ourselves.

“We cannot leave the country to shrink – if the Dutch had taken the same approach Holland would now be half the size.”

In Kilnsea, residents have already taken matters into their own hands and are maintaining the defences themselves after the Environment Agency refused to defend their village.

They raised £200,000 through Environment Agency grants and charities to build a new embankment to keep the water from the Humber estuary from spilling into their village.

Nearly two thirds of the country’s coastline is currently defended with shingle banks, sea walls and barriers that are maintained by the Environment Agency using taxpayers’ money. Some land, such as that owned by the Crown Estate, has privately-maintained defences.

The risk of flooding is due to increase over the next century as sea levels rise by up to three feet. But the Environment Agency cannot afford to build new defences and increase the height of existing infrastructure in all of the areas it covers.

Ministers have instead decided to allow the agency to pick and chose the areas it will defend, with priority being given to towns and areas with special historical or natural interest.

The National Trust is also to abandon some of the 180 miles of coastline under its control after taking the decision that it could no longer afford to hold back rising seas and prevent erosion.

Visitors to Studland beach, in Dorset, which is among the worst affected areas, last week demanded urgent action to save the nature spot after beach huts have had to be moved back three times in the past 25 years due to erosion.

The Government currently spends around £600 million a year on protecting against flooding and coastal erosion and this will increase to more than £800 million over the next three years.

But Alison Baptise, national coastal policy manager at the Environment Agency, said that despite the funding increase, the Environment Agency still needed to prioritise where it spent the money by taking a strategic look at the nation’s coastline as a whole.

“There are clearly some areas that are more difficult than others,” she said. “As the coast is dynamic – it has been changing for years and continues to change – we can’t do the same thing at the same place all the time. We need to adapt how we manage it.

“In some areas there are defences built there that we could keep building up but it is not sustainable economically or good for the environment. These are long term changes and are not going to happen suddenly.”

The policy of abandoning defences and not raising defences in other areas has enraged campaigners, who claim house prices in effected areas have plummeted as residents struggle to sell their properties.

Malcolm Kerby, from campaign group National Voice of Coastal Communities, said: “People buy houses behind flood defences in good faith and then the Environment Agency can choose to move or abandon those defences at no cost to themselves.

“People living in areas that are being abandoned are seeing the value of their homes plummeting and they can’t sell them. Why would anyone want to buy a house in an area that will be regularly flooded in 20 years?”

Story by Richard Gray, Science Correspondent in the Telegraph

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.

However, Selsey councillor Roland O’Brien, of the Save our Selsey sea defence campaign group, thinks finding the money to pay for the sea defences would be a ‘huge challenge’.

“It has been suggested local funding should be explored. Between £31m and £41m would need to be raised to pay for the works at Selsey,” he said after the meeting.

“We have been having discussions with local stockholders about where we are going to find the money.”

At the full council meeting, Pieter Montyn of the environment department at the district council outlined the local authority has two parts to play in relation to sea defences.

It is the coast protection authority for the area and it is also a consultee, and can choose whether to support or reject the EA’s plans.

The Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy was updated in the summer after a two-month public consultation.

In the updated version more houses in West Wittering are to be protected.

During the full council meeting, Cllr Montyn also assured Cllr O’Brien the protection of the Medmerry Cliffs will be considered.

Over the next century the EA has chosen to strengthen the sea defences in Selsey, East Wittering, Bracklesham, Cakeham and ‘hold the line’ as sea levels rise.

Flood barriers are to be moved further inland at Medmerry to protect the area. Local flood defences are set to be built to protect the homes at West Wittering.

An adaptive management approach has been taken for Pagham and East Head, meaning sea defences will be monitored over a period of time
and changed according to the rise in sea levels.

What happens next?

The Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy is to go before the National Review Group within the Environment Agency this week, which looks at the economic and environmental aspects of the plans.

Questions from the meeting and points raised by the group will be put to the Environment Agency.

If everything has been agreed, the next step is for the plans to go before an agency board for the plans to get officially rubber-stamped. The EA is expecting the plans to be formally completed by the end of next year.

Andrew Gilham, south east coast area manager at the EA, said: “While this process is going on, we will be working on the ground to protect coasts from erosion and flooding.

“We will need to engage with the community next year to begin the realignment work at Medmerry. The works could start by 2010.”

Story in the Chichester Observer

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.

The option for West Wittering, East Head and Pagham is adaptive management. This means the coastlines will be monitored over a period of time before any further defences are put in place.

The Environment Agency (EA) plans to start working on the sea defences in West Wittering and Medmerry next year.

“Following extensive consultation with residents and Chichester and Arun District Councils we now have developed a strategy for managing flood and erosion risks that offers the maximum benefit for both people and their environment,” said James Humphrys, EA area manager for the south east.

“We have been very encouraged by the level of community interest throughout. Unless action is taken, within 100 years we predict that more than 2,200 houses and businesses in the low lying areas could flood here each year as sea levels rise.

“At the same time, erosion could cause almost 1,500 properties to be lost to the sea.”

A newsletter summarising the public responses and strategy recommendations has now been produced and sent to 14,000 households within the Manhood Peninsula.

Consultation on the draft strategy was held between May 29 and August 29, and more than 1,000 residents attended exhibitions held across the manhood peninsula.

Chichester District Council will discuss the final plans on Wednesday at a full council meeting.

Story in the Chichester Observer

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.

SOS also believes the proposals to protect the town are still an ‘expensive wish list’, despite new plans to protect the north of the town being put forward.

“We’re disappointed a strong, clear case to protect Medmerry Cliffs has not been made,” said SOS chairman Richard Dearsley.

“The NE policy is to let such cliffs erode, to ensure fresh ‘exposure’ of the geology – even if this means homes and businesses are lost as a result, and that ultimately the cliffs disappear.

“We think this is crazy and the EA should be free to suggest a policy that defends property and preserves the cliffs.

“We hope the EA is given the opportunity in the final stages of the strategy to do this.”

The EA predicted that 2,200 homes and businesses would be lost to the sea if nothing was done to protect homes along the coastline over the next century.

More than 1,000 residents attended four exhibitions as part of a two-month public consultation starting from May 29. Residents could view coastal defence plans and speak with EA staff.

Those who responded to the plans have received a newsletter at their home outlining changes made to the draft coastal defence strategy. SOS believes creativity will be needed to find ways of funding essential coast defences.

Mr Dearsley added: “Unless we can get the money to pay for coast defences, nothing will be done.

“The agency says that government funding for Selsey’s urban frontages, such as the existing sea wall, is unlikely and it could be down to ‘local community funding’.

“To defend urban Selsey over the next 100 years with the strategy estimated we would need a fund of £30m-£40m set aside. Coast defence is a government responsibility and local people should not be left to pick up the tab.”

Jon Curson, NE coastal policy advisor for the south east region, said: “We are responsible for looking after designated sites and Medmerry Cliffs is one of them. We have worked very closely with the EA in producing this strategy and we were satisfied with the strategy in its draft form.

“It provides adequate protection for Selsey. I would not agree we have hampered the EA in its decisions.”

Chichester District Council is to meet on November 25 to review the plans.

Story in the Chichester Observer

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.

In a letter to the Environment Agency, Cllr Deborah Urquhart, county cabinet member for the environment and economy, said the need to realign defences at Medmerry, Selsey, to a more stable position inland was becoming better understood by the community. Such a policy would result in a major new landscape feature in the form of a new harbour similar in nature to Pagham.

“But despite the engagement and visioning work done by the community over the years, including the Going Dutch conferences, it would appear the indicative alignments of the new defences are based around ensuring the cheapest and shortest new structures to achieve the highest cost-benefit ratio,” said Cllr Urquhart.

A new harbour had the potential to have a very positive impact on the area for generations to come.

But for the residents and businesses of the area to adopt the dramatic changes to their landscape and community that now seemed necessary, it was essential they were involved in shaping a vision for how their area would look and could be used, and how such a feature would be integrated into their landscape and fit alongside their existing facilities and infrastructure.

“Although the panel of experts agreed with the need to realign the defence inland at Medmerry, many of the workshops expressed concern about the engineered structures being imposed on the landscape, and not working with the contours and existing features,” she added.

Alongside other members of the community and geo-morphologists and engineers, the county council would be keen to offer its landscape and heritage expertise to ensure the design of the new feature took full account of the character of the Manhood Peninsula.

The county would also expect to be engaged to identify and design the most appropriate locations for new and relocated rights of way, to maximise the benefits to the community of new routes and, where feasible, ensuring access for all.

Story in the Chichester Observer

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.

Tides are expected to reach about 5.2 metres in height and even 5.5 metres in October.

“Storms, high winds and severe weather can test our defences at any time of the year. Usually there is no need for bulldozers to be on site during the summer,” said Andrew Gilham, Environment Agency area flood risk manager.

“However, the recent spell of unsettled weather means we have had to take the unusual step of bringing bulldozers to the site.

“We are already working with local communities who live along this very fragile coastline to determine how we manage it into the future.

“All of our research suggests that a realignment of defences inland in a managed way is the right thing to do.

“This would enable us to provide improved protection to Selsey and the surrounding communities.”

Two bulldozers have been adding shingle to the existing defences at Medmerry to cater for more stormy weather.

The action from the EA comes just before tomorrow’s Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy consultation deadline.

Co-founder of the Save Our Selsey campaign Roland O’Brien said: “We usually see tides reach about 5.2 metres high at the end of August.

“It looks like the EA is doing the right thing.

“The tides can get up to 5.5 metres in October. Our only
concern is the shingle bank which must be wide enough to cope with the tide.

“Before it was built up short and tall and the tide just knocks
it over.”

The coastal defence draft strategy can be download by clicking here or by calling 08708 506 506.

Story in the West Sussex Gazette

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.

Cllr Bev Tinson, who represents Selsey North, said: “We do realise the Medmerry proposal is not going to be something everyone is happy with, but if something is not done it will pose a serious threat to Selsey.

“In the future the social and economic side of Selsey would be at risk.

“We are not looking at that happening next year but in the next 50 to 100 years.”

Dee Caldwell, of Ham Residents’ Association, believes the plans to move the sea defences is a positive proposal.

He said: “It’s not perfect, but the world isn’t perfect.

“I think it’s very good news. I think we are in a better situation than in Selsey, which may struggle to get the funding to sustain it.

“At least they have proposed to do something to protect us. It’s looking positive.”

Council members accepted there would be funding issues with the proposal.

It is estimated to cost £26m, including £6m for habitat creation, which the government is expected to fund. They said they were convinced it was the most realistic and sustainable option.

Agreements were reached that businesses and residents from the area would need to be involved in the process and the Grade II listed Coastguard Cottages terrace would need to be protected.

The Environment Agency met with Arun District Council and Chichester District Council to discuss the draft strategy.

The proposals made by the Environment Agency in the strategy are that Selsey’s sea defences would be sustained.

However, this would cost £111m over the next century, a bill which campaigners and residents say will not be met by the government.

Councillors also backed ‘adaptive management’ for the area of Pagham Beach, Pagham Harbour and Church Norton at an estimated cost of £35m.

They also agreed with sustaining the sea defences at Bracklesham and East Wittering, at an anticipated cost of £80m.

Proposals were also made to ‘hold the line’ at Cakeham or undertake minor realignment.

Expected costs for the work would be £25m.

Plans for adaptive management at East Head have been proposed, with improved def-ences for West Wittering, costing £11m.

A total of £9m of that would go towards East Head.

The committee has put its recommendations for each of the six areas of coastline to the executive board.

Residents who have not already seen the plans are encouraged to make their way along to the final public exhibition.

As well as viewing the proposals put forward for each of the six coastlines of Medmerry, Selsey, East Wittering and Bracklesham, West Wittering, Cakeham and Pagham, residents will also have the opportunity to speak to the team behind the project.

Cllr Tinson added “I will be making sure residents of Selsey are aware of the next exhibition and get as many as possible to go along and have their say.”

The exhibition will be held on Wednesday, August 6 between 1pm and 8pm at Selsey Town Hall.

Story in the Chichester Observer

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