Pagham flood defences take a step forward

Arun District Council has received a major report about the environmental effects of its 1m preferred scheme to bolster the low-lying area's sea defences.

The 75-page document looks in detail at the programme which the council wants to put into effect along the East Front Road frontage next autumn.

The Pagham Beach estate has some 240 properties. The first property will be reached by the sea within 20 years '“ with the waves going into 160 homes in the next century '“ if the defences are allowed to deteriorate.

The report, called a scoping report, has been compiled by consultants Royal Haskoning.

It has been published by Arun in advance of its conclusions being included in an environmental impact assessment to accompany a full planning application for the works.

The application is due to be submitted by the council's engineering department to its planning officers in the next three months.

Council head of infrastructure, works and engineering David Green said: "The report looks at the environmental issues of the work we want to do and that includes birds, people and habitats and the effect on those as a result of us doing the work."

Comments by Dr Julian Carolan, an environmental scientist at Royal Haskonin, with the report state the proposed works would be intended to provide defences capable of reducing the risk of flooding to once every 200 years.

"The preferred scheme would involve the placement of some 30,000sq m of shingle along the frontage in order to raise the standard of defence to the required level," he says.

The shingle would be taken from the Church Norton spit where it has built up following an alteration in tidal patterns since 2005.

Dr Carolan says those past four years have led to a quantifiable erosion rate from the central section of the Pagham Beach frontage of about 5m.

But visual evidence points to as much as 30m of shingle being worn away from the steep beach during that period.

Because of the sensitive nature of much of the seafront, the district council has to submit a mass of environmental details with its application.

The Church Norton spit is within Pagham Harbour where a nature reserve is strongly protected from interference. Other areas also benefit from international, national and European protection.

Mr Green said the scoping report from Royal Haskonin looked at how those sites would cope once bulldozers went to work shifting the shingle.

As well as planning permission, Arun also has to gain a licence from the Crown Estate for work to be carried out below the high water mark.

The council will approach the Environment Agency for the funding for the work once it has obtained both formal approvals.

A letter from Natural England conservation officer Jon Curson, included with the Royal Haskonin information, said the body would be unlikely to object to the principle of taking shingle from the very end of Church Norton spit to renourish the beach. But he said more details would be needed before a final opinion could be given.

What do you think? Click here to send a letter or leave a comment below.

Click here to go back to Chichester news

Click here to go back to Bognor Regis news

Click here to go back to Midhurst and Petworth news

To tell us where in the world you are reading this story click on the link below to add yourself to our readers' map.

MAP