WALNEY residents whose homes are at risk of being washed into the sea have been snubbed by a government minister.

Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock has now pledged to sit down with residents and town hall officials to consider the options after Richard Benyon refused his request to meet a local delegation to discuss the issue.

Mr Woodcock said: “The problem of coastal erosion at Earnse Bay is of pressing concern. (more…)

AN MP is demanding government ministers step into the battle to stop homes being washed into the sea.

Residents of West Shore Park on Walney have been increasingly concerned over recent years that coastal erosion at Earnse Bay will lead to their homes being flooded.

But now Barrow MP John Woodcock hopes to lead a delegation to meet the environment minister in Whitehall in a bid to resolve the issue once and for all. (more…)

Large parts of the Sussex coastline will disappear into the sea within 15 years, a Government report has revealed.

A study by the Environment Agency into coastal defences across Sussex highlights more than ten miles of the shoreline which will be lost to erosion.

Newhaven, Seaford and beauty spots such as Birling Gap are all listed as being affected by damage caused by the sea because of a lack of protection.

And the report warns as much as 20 metres of land could be lost in some places by 2025. (more…)

A government minister has been invited to Pagham to see why residents are concerned about the loss of their beach.

The invitation to fisheries minister Richard Benyon was sent this week by Bognor Regis and Littlehampton MP Nick Gibb.

It followed Mr Gibb’s chairing of a public meeting in which nearly 200 residents made clear their opposition to plans for a marine conservation zone around Pagham Harbour local nature reserve which they fear could halt coast protection methods. (more…)

It’s time to wade back into the troubled waters of flood and coastal defence funding in England, because the government unveiled a new plan on Monday. Here’s the headline from the Defra press release:

More flood and coastal defence schemes to go ahead under new funding system

Sounds good right? As regular visitors will know, I have been angered by the glaring contradiction between ministers saying that the risk of flooding is rising due to climate change, and then cutting year-on-year funding by over 25%. Over 1000 schemes that were in line for funding no longer have it.

Of the new arrangement, environment minister Richard Benyon said: “This new funding system means more flood defence schemes will benefit from government money so we can protect more people and properties.” So the new funding system means more government money, you’re thinking. You’re wrong. There is no new money to alleviate the risks of floods devastating people’s homes and businesses. (more…)

From a press release on the DEFRA website:

More flood and coastal erosion defence projects across England will receive government money each year under a new funding system announced today.

The new system provides money based on the benefits each project delivers to homes, businesses, agricultural land and infrastructure. Many schemes will still receive full Government funding, whilst others will qualify for a contribution to the final cost.  In many cases this government contribution will be worth 80 to 90 per cent of the full scheme cost.

This will replace the current model where schemes applying for money are typically either funded in full by Government or not at all. (more…)

PLANS to stop flooding at a problem spot on the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft have been boosted by a Government minister.

Suffolk County Council is looking to alleviate flooding on the main road at Blythburgh, where the road meets the River Blyth, and is proposing to install a sluice to manage tidal flow in the area.

The road is liable to flooding during heavy rainfall and fears were heightened when the Environment Agency announced it could not continue to maintain defences along the Blyth estuary indefinitely.

Major delays on the road cause huge inconvenience for people and businesses in the area, as well as damaging economic prosperity.

The county council secured a £1.8million grant to deal with the problem and had considered 
raising the road but is now going to “develop the option” of installing a sluice. (more…)

Environment minister Richard Benyon has promised to help resolve the issue of whether a sea wall can be built to protect a Lancashire hamlet.

Conservative MP David Morris told the Commons that residents of Sunderland Point were being blocked from building the wall by government agencies.

He said a wall would help to reduce coastal erosion by 1m (3ft) a year.

Mr Benyon said he would talk to Natural England and the Environment Agency “as a matter of urgency”. (more…)

Coastal farmers, fighting against regulations that prevent them from maintaining sea defences, have been given a boost after a visit by DEFRA officials.

Junior DEFRA minister Richard Benyon visited the Suffolk coast on a fact-finding mission and met landowners working together to raise money and maintain rural coastal defences.

The landowners were members of the Blyth Estuary Group, which was set up to find a cost-effective way of funding repair work.

But they have been hampered by red tape and the cost of numerous permissions required before work could start. (more…)

Environment minister Richard Benyon took a fact finding tour of Norfolk and Suffolk’s erosion-scoured coastline to hear about the problems it causes for resident and communities.

Ministers come and go at erosion hot spots with the same certainty as the tides which eat away at the crumbling cliffs.

The latest Whitehall “suit” to visit the shoreline came to find out more about how communities are coping with current coastal management strategies which see many established defences being abandoned, leaving villages in fear and blighted by plunging property prices. (more…)