Group to lead fight for flood protection

A Pagham pressure group is due to hold its first meeting soon.

The flood defence committee will be composed of representatives from the community to lead the fight for better coast protection.

The go ahead to form the group was given by parish councillors last week.

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They want to involve large local companies such as Bourne Leisure, which owns the Church Farm Holiday Village, and vegetable grower Barfoots of Botley.

The vicar, the Rev Keith Smith, Pagham Yacht Club officials and members of the Pagham Beach Residents' Association as well as other residents' group will be invited to attend.

The aim is to ensure the battle to protect Pagham from the sea involves as many people as possible as well as the parish council. A wide area of the parish will be affected if flooding does occur. Services such as sewerage and electricity are likely to be hit.

The committee is likely to have a fund of 13,000 from the parish council's coffers for any immediate action. This follows the decision by the parish council to increase its share of council tax by 5 in the coming year.

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This will raise 6,500 which will be boosted by another 6,336 if councillors continue to forego their allowances.

Parish council's chairman Cllr Ray Radmall said Barfoots and Bourne Leisure had shown an initial willingness to become involved with the committee. There was a need to act now.

A 30m crest of shingle which protected homes from the waves in autumn 2004 had been reduced to 5m by last autumn.

'The situation is critical. Erosion on the beach is still going on. Something has to be done about it before next winter.

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'Maybe we can bring together what community leaders and business leaders there are in Pagham to work together on this issue.'

Cllr Mike Belman said the committee should be run independently of the parish council.

Cllr Radmall spent last Friday nightat a Save Our Selsey campaign group meeting to find out how it is conducting its campaign to protect the area from flooding.

The increasing risk of flooding in Pagham has arisen because the pattern of tides around the harbour has changed.

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The waves used to ensure enough shingle was dumped on the shore to replace any stones removed by stronger tides.

But those stones are instead being left on offshore banks to leave the beach steadily more eroded.

The mouth of the harbour has shifted 70 degrees east because of the changes, according to Cllr Radmall.