A controversial scheme to return an East Sussex estuary to nature will need planning permission after all.

The Environment Agency says it will apply for planning consent before beginning work to allow the western side of the Cuckmere estuary to flood.

Critics, who had accused the agency of trying to bulldoze the project through without applying for permission, said the decision meant there would now be proper consultation.

The agency, backed by the National Trust and English Nature, wants to remove man-made flood defences and create a wildlife-friendly valley of salt marsh south of Exceat.

The banks are nearing the end of their life and would cost about £1 million to replace.

Peter Midgley, the agency's Sussex area manager, said: "The existing defences are wearing out and sooner or later the sea will come in.

"Rather than propping up these defences and turning the canal banks into a building site, our proposals show how we can work with nature to protect the whole valley from flooding and improve the environment."

The agency will apply to Lewes District Council for planning permission in June and aims to start work in the autumn if it is granted.

Stefano Diella, landlord of the Golden Galleon pub, at Exceat, welcomed the decision and said people would now be consulted properly about the scheme.

He said: "I think it is going to be a much better way of informing people of exactly what changes they are planning to make.

"I see it as the first victory in the long battle to get it talked about properly, before we change the valley forever."

MPs Norman Baker (Lewes) and Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne) had called for a public inquiry before any work began in the estuary.