Strategy ensures sea defences for villages

Thousands of properties between Aldwick and Climping should continue to be protected from flooding.

A new flood and erosion risk strategy from the Environment Agency recommends the current level of coast protection along the frontage should be maintained during the next century.

The cost of holding the shoreline against the sea along the five miles or so is put at 32.4m in the next 20 years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Competition for funding is tough, but failure to keep the defences at their current strength will lead to 530 properties being put at risk from a one-in-200-year flood by 2029.

That number will increase steeply to 3,204 in a century if nothing is done because of the rising sea level and an increased number and intensity of storms.

James Humphreys, the agency's Solent and South Downs area manager, said: "People who live and work along this stretch of coastline are faced with the real threat of flooding and coastal erosion.

"We have to take a long-term view to manage such risks responsibly."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Roger Elkins, Arun District Council's cabinet member for community safety, said: "Although the funding issue is a concern, this strategy is good news for the residents of Aldwick, Bognor, Felpham and Middleton."

Here's the strategy in detail for each area. The number of properties at risk in 20 and 100 years if defences are not kept up is in brackets:

* Aldwick (70,310) '“ Maintenance of the beach is the key to maintaining the flood and erosion defences. New groynes will be needed in the next five to ten years. The frontage at Dark Lane to Marine Drive West will be the focus of capital works.

* Bognor Regis and Felpham (7,888) '“ The current high standard of protection will remain in a century if it is maintained. Capital works will be carried out around Canning Road because of its loss of beach. The beach in front of The Esplanade is in good condition.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

* Middleton (341,938) '“ The maintain recommendation is a downgrade from the improve suggestion in the 2003 strategy. But this failed to attract government backing.

The beach is mostly in a poor condition and will require to be restored. Capital works will be needed around Sea Way and Old Point because of the exposed breastwork and sea walls.

* Elmer (17,668) '“ Some recycling of shingle will be required to replace the beach material lost from the bays behind some of the breakwaters. Pagham is included in a separate strategy.

But others are not so lucky...

Parts of Climping could be abandoned to the sea.

The Environment Agency is proposing to stop maintaining the village's sea defences two years after its final strategy is published.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Even during those two years, only routine maintenance would be completed. Major repairs caused by a severe storm would not be carried out.

The result of doing nothing in the long term will see farmland increasingly flooded.

The agency says a small number of properties in the Atherington area are likely to suffer a heightened risk of flooding.

No buildings will be lost to erosion after a century, but some local access tracks and land closest to the sea may be affected.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The agency states the 10.4m cost in the next 20 years of keeping the defences to their present standard cannot be justified.

Henry Burrell is the Climping resident whose home at Atherington Farm is the nearest to the beach in Climping Street.

He said: "I am very disappointed by the Environment Agency's proposals. I have met with them and it was apparent that was their favoured strategy for this area.

"I have no idea how bad the flooding will be and I'm not sure how long it's going to take before we see any difference. The sea level is not rising a lot every year."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Burrell is a member of Climping Parish Council which will debate the

proposed flood risk strategy at a coming meeting.

The frontage between the River Arun mouth to the Ford railway bridge will be maintained to the current standard to protect properties in northern Climping.

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