‘Be prepared for Lewes to flood again’: town warned at public meeting
A public meeting in Lewes was told to be prepared for the town to follow its historic pattern of flooding every 20 to 40 years.
Lewes & Flooding: The Public Meeting on Saturday, November 1, was the climax of two days of talks, activities and an exhibition marking the 25th anniversary of the floods that devastated more than 600 homes and 300 businesses in Lewes in October 2000, displacing 1,000 people.
Since 2000, flood defences have been installed in key points along the river bank and measures have been take to slow and store water across the River Ouse catchment.
But as John Gower, flood lead at Friends of Lewes, told the audience, factors including rising sea levels and more frequent intense rainfall mean that flooding still remains a real threat. He pointed out that before the 2000 floods, Lewes also flooded in 1960, 1938, 1911, 1909 and 1878.
Audience members and panellists questioned the wisdom of permitting development on the flood plain. Jonathan Hunter, manager for Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, who was part of the Flood Warning Team for Lewes in 2000, advised residents to call on the South Downs National Park Authority’s Local Plan, which is currently under review, to address development on the flood plain if it was a concern for them.
Some panellists also stressed the importance of working with nature to manage flood risk rather than relying on physical flood defences.
“Technical measures are only going to get us so far, given what we’re expecting from climate change,” warned Matthew Bird, a town councillor and director of Love Our Ouse. “We need to be thinking about the role of nature and how we use it to hold water – that’s what the landscape should be doing. Please don't just place all your faith in a flood wall.”
Norman Baker, former MP for Lewes who chaired the public meeting, also took the opportunity to voice his feelings about plans for a second runaway at Gatwick Airport in the face of climate change. He said: “It is totally irresponsible to be building another runway when transport is one of the biggest contributors in this country to carbon emissions.”
A stream of the full Public Meeting can be viewed on the Lewes Town Council Facebook page until the end of November. A report from the Lewes Floods 25 Anniversary is to be published as well.