Nearly £2m on protecting Fairlight coast

A £1.87million rock bund will be used to defend a section of the Fairlight cliffs, funded almost entirely by a government grant.

Rother District Council cabinet members unanimously decided to go with ‘option three’ at a meeting today (Monday, December 7).

Cllr Ian Hollidge said: “It is a risk but option three is without a shadow of doubt, the best option that we can hope for.”

Option three would provide the current defence standard to the vulnerable area of coastline with a rock bund that will last for 50 years.

The measures would restrict property loss to 22 units in 100 years.

Other options vary from doing nothing to improving the defence standard, but this would cost more than an Environment Agency capital grant would cover.

Fairlight Preservation Trust and Parish Council would contribute £150,000 towards the scheme so the district council would pay nothing.

“It’s difficult to access the risk in option three, which I believe is the right option as doing nothing proposes that 183 properties are at risk over a 100 year period,” Mr Hollidge said.

“While with option three, there are only 22 proprieties that may be at risk over a 100-year period.

“And any other options are unlikely the produce the funding from the Environment Agency.

“So option three is clearly the right scenario.”

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