Shoreham sailing club calls for urgent action amid ‘grave danger of being washed away’

The club – which is located on the far end of Shoreham Beach directly opposite the RNLI Lifeboat station – is an incorporated charitable organisation and home to Adur Sailing Club. This provides sailing courses for young people from the local area and Lancing Sea Scouts.

The club’s commodore, William Warren, has written a letter to Tom Rutland – MP for East Worthing and Shoreham – to appeal for his help after a ‘longstanding’ issue.

In the letter, which was also sent to this newspaper, Mr Warren told how the club was at its 'wits' end in trying to deal’ with the Environment Agency (EA) and blamed erosion on the Adur Tidal Walls scheme and associated construction works to the east of Shoreham Sailing Club.

It added: “Our club, which has stood securely on this piece of reclaimed land for the last 65 years, is in grave danger of being washed away. In addition, all the housing at the east end of Shoreham Beach will be in danger from flooding as the water will travel up the road and in their front doors.

"The erosion of our land has been caused by the concrete slipway that was designed and built by the EA as a replacement for our existing slipway. The new slipway was built in 2019 and designed without any tidal modelling, despite assurances from the EA that modelling had been done.

"The result has been that since 2019 the sea is steadily eroding the land to the North East of our grounds because of change in the tidal flow due to the new structure.

“Our previous slipway had been in place since the 1960s and there were no issues of erosion in the surrounding area as it was carefully designed, with the then harbour master, to allow for the tidal effects in the harbour.”

The Environment Agency issued a firm statement in response to these claims.

A spokesperson said: “It is untrue to say that erosion has been caused by the Shoreham Adur Tidal Wall scheme or slipway. Movement of beach material has always occurred on this section of the tidal River Adur. The addition of the concrete slipway is not the cause of this natural process.”

“The flood defences were designed using a fluvial model inclusive of tidal conditions.”

Mr Warren said the erosion was first mentioned in a complaint to the EA in November 2019 – ‘and since then any remedial work has failed’.

He said he has repeatedly asked the government agency to find a ‘long-standing solution’ to the risk ‘other than throw taxpayers money down the river Adur, out of Shoreham Port and into the sea’.

"The initial plan for the Adur Tidal Walls project in this location was to use sheet piling along the North of the club however this was never completed, leaving a sizeable gap in the sea defence,” Mr Warren added.

"Had the piling been completed the effects of the slipway would not be a threat to ourselves and those living in the area.”

Mr Warren said the situation had now reached a 'critical' stage and feared next winter's storms could wreak havoc in the area and threaten the clubhouse.

Addressing the sheet piling element, the Environment Agency pointed towards the ‘major rising main sewerage pipe’ – crossing the river northeasterly from Soldiers Point.

“Due to this critical infrastructure the scheme was not able to undertake piling works to construct a wall in this location,” the spokesperson said.

“Additional fluvial modelling showed that the ground level was sufficient to reach the scheme’s required Standard of Protection.”

On the danger to housing at the east end of Shoreham Beach, the agency added: “The risk of flooding to properties to the east end of Shoreham Beach are managed by the Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls scheme to a high standard and this has not changed.

“Due to the ongoing erosion, we have recently undertaken improvement works to the rock revetment which protects the flood defence wall. This will ensure the properties’ flood risk is managed appropriately.”

Mr Rutland has arranged a meeting with Mr Warren after receiving the letter.

The Member of Parliament for East Worthing and Shoreham added: “I look forward to meeting with the Shoreham Sailing Club on site tomorrow (Friday, May 1) to discuss the issue, and will bring together the relevant parties in aid of coming to a solution.”