Sussex coastline abandoned to the sea (From The Argus)
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Sussex coastline abandoned to the sea
1:20pm Monday 21st November 2011 in News
Large parts of the Sussex coastline will disappear into the sea within 15 years, a Government report has revealed.
A study by the Environment Agency into coastal defences across Sussex highlights more than ten miles of the shoreline which will be lost to erosion.
Newhaven, Seaford and beauty spots such as Birling Gap are all listed as being affected by damage caused by the sea because of a lack of protection.
And the report warns as much as 20 metres of land could be lost in some places by 2025.
The study has been drawn up to show communities how erosion could affect where they live.
Newhaven’s coastline from Newhaven Heights to the harbour is predicted to have been eroded by up to 20 metres by 2025.
The report is grim reading for those parts of Sussex which currently have defences, too.
Properties along the coast through Brighton and Hove, Shoreham, Worthing and Littlehampton are assessed as being at “significant” risk of flooding, along with homes and businesses near the banks of the Arun, Adur and Ouse.
Lewes MP Norman Baker yesterday (November 20) vowed to take the Newhaven’s shoreline policy up with the Environment Agency.
He said: “The climate change chickens are coming home to roost.
“We have already seen cottage after cottage in Birling Gap go into the sea.
“There has always been erosion but it has now accelerated."
Judith Ost, the leader of Newhaven Town Council, said: “While I would like the area protected from erosion, currently industrial sites in Newhaven are at very real risk of flooding and this needs to be addressed.”
Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “Coastal erosion is a natural process and while we can’t defend every single section of cliff or beach."
The Government is spending £2.1 billion tackling erosion and flooding.
See the Environment Agency maps showing coastal erosion areas, here.
See more on this story inside today's Argus.
Comments(28)
Servalan
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1:40pm Mon 21 Nov 11
quedula
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1:48pm Mon 21 Nov 11
ChrisDS
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2:11pm Mon 21 Nov 11
The Real Phil
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2:17pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Nick Brighton
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2:27pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Johntomgreen
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2:33pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Residents along the Cuckmere have lost the fight to save their floodbanks….will residents along the other three estuaries put up a stronger fight.? Money the EA would once have spent on coastal defences in Sussex when it had an area office in the county now goes towards keeping expensive, luxury homes on the Thames protected from the river.
ShorehamBeachcomber
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2:37pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Charismatic Andrew
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2:45pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Hotbeans
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3:12pm Mon 21 Nov 11
ChrisDS
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5:01pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Tailgaters Anonymous
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5:21pm Mon 21 Nov 11
As regards Norman Baker no doubt he will defend himself in his usual fashion - it is those who claim to be Green and seize any and every opportunity to throw dust in opponents' faces who are the real threat!
Morpheus
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5:50pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Maxwell's Ghost
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6:24pm Mon 21 Nov 11
pebble counter
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6:49pm Mon 21 Nov 11
ChrisDS wrote:How soon people forget? I don't think Steyning and Bramber were ports in living memory were they?
how soon people forget that bramber and steyning were once major ports ...but then hundreds of years ago there was this global whatevering leaving them with just a little river !
Old Ladys Gin
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9:54pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Anyone who has thrown a bucket of water away will see what happens - it washes soil and other things away.
Small wonder that it happens to an island and you can't feasibly shore up (pun intended) 11,000 miles of coastline.
rolivan
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10:02pm Mon 21 Nov 11
GRANDAD
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12:31am Tue 22 Nov 11
What purpose is there in the Environmental Agency.
Time to shut them down completely.
All they seem to do is go on tv after the flooding has happened to tell us we have been flooded. Brilliant
graham_Seagull
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7:09am Tue 22 Nov 11
ShorehamBeachcomber wrote:Hmmmm can you quote a bit of geology to back that up?
Dreadful over sensationalism, there are NO homes along Brighton & hove beaches and Shoreham Beach is expanding not sinking...it's the sand & chalk areas not pebbles where it recedes
rolivan
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8:03am Tue 22 Nov 11
GRANDAD wrote:They don't just cover Flooding as it says in the name they cover the Environment I.E. Rubbish and fly tipping
Question is,
What purpose is there in the Environmental Agency.
Time to shut them down completely.
All they seem to do is go on tv after the flooding has happened to tell us we have been flooded. Brilliant
Joshiman
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8:25am Tue 22 Nov 11
salty_pete
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8:28am Tue 22 Nov 11
GRUMPAH
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11:06am Tue 22 Nov 11
Lewes Gap, Hailsham on Sea, Havant Bay. Sounds good to me, but then I won't be around by then to care!
GRUMPAH
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11:07am Tue 22 Nov 11
ShorehamBeachcomber
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1:18pm Tue 22 Nov 11
rolivan wrote:They have significant concrete walls metres above high tide levels so a 2mm rise each year may affect them in say 200 years and then they could simply build an extra floor on top for the next 200 years. So ask Norm again when he's 448 years old
Spare a thought for those POOR soles that own properties on the seafront at Aldrington Basin and Their Private Beach.Norman and Zoe and Heather and the like.
ShorehamBeachcomber
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1:19pm Tue 22 Nov 11
graham_Seagull wrote:'geolo' how's that?
ShorehamBeachcomber wrote:Hmmmm can you quote a bit of geology to back that up?
Dreadful over sensationalism, there are NO homes along Brighton & hove beaches and Shoreham Beach is expanding not sinking...it's the sand & chalk areas not pebbles where it recedes
tengri
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9:45pm Wed 23 Nov 11
Joshiman wrote:No they won't.
I suppose they will tell us next that building more sea wind turbines will solve the problem as the turbines will push back the tide away from our shores.Oh you Greens make us laugh.
tengri
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9:47pm Wed 23 Nov 11
mtmoocher says...
1:37pm Mon 21 Nov 11