WEST Sussex County Council has named 25 priority areas where action is most needed to prevent flooding.

During a scrutiny meeting last month, members were given an update on the local flood risk management strategy 2021-26, which has reached the end of its public consultation.

The strategy – which sets out how flooding in the county is managed and defines the roles and responsibilities of public bodies and private owners – said the council’s main focus would be on the 25 areas that are most at risk of flooding. 

The areas, in order of priority, are: 

  1. East Preston
  2. Southwater
  3. Easebourne
  4. Washington
  5. Shoreham and Southwick
  6. Lancing
  7. Linchmere
  8. Crawley
  9. Billingshurst
  10. Lindfield
  11. Itchingfield
  12. Worthing
  13. Haywards Heath
  14. Hassocks
  15. Littlehampton
  16. Westbourne
  17. Findon
  18. Burgess Hill
  19. Steyning
  20. Angmering
  21. Worth
  22. Horsham
  23. Rustington
  24. Sompting
  25. Chichester

A report to the meeting said setting priorities did not mean funding was available or agreed.

It also didn’t mean important work would not be carried out elsewhere but that "priorities will be reviewed as progress is made".

The strategy includes an action plan which showed work which organisations such as the various councils and Southern Water should carry out.

This ranged from improving awareness of managing local flooding by using natural processes to exploring the feasibility of diverting rooftop drainage from waterfront developments over the sea walls.

The Argus: West Sussex flooding priority areas West Sussex flooding priority areas

The report said: “It is the principal aim of this strategy to oversee the direct reduction in local flood risk for residents and to make communities more resilient to future flood risk.

“These aims will be met by the projects that are taken forward in future work programmes, and by the actions set out in the action plan.

“Investigations, new information, changing budgets and contributions, and subsequent flood events will alter what happens over the lifetime of the strategy, and minor changes may be made to the documents including the flood maps.

“Regular reviews of progress against the action plan will be conducted so that we can monitor the flood risk situation and adjust priorities, as necessary.”

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