Futures Forum: Beach Management Plan: ‘major discrepancies’ in the predicted costs of modelling and maintenance
Futures Forum: Beach Management Plan: "More careful consideration is needed, starting with comparative modelling."
At last month's meeting of the steering group, it was decided to look into financing the techinically preferred option:
Futures Forum: Beach Management Plan: looking for funding for the 'technically preferred' option 4b
This is the latest from the Herald:
Sidmouth beach plan - questions over ongoing costs
21 September 2016 Stephen Sumner
Option 1 in the beach management plan
Interested groups can comment on the options available to shore up Sidmouth seafront before the plan is completed in early November.
The beach management plan (BMP) steering group – made up of local authorities, community groups and regulatory and public bodies – was told 4B, a series of breakwaters is the best option to maintain a healthy beach and reduce erosion.
But the scheme would need £11million in partnership funding so members were told the best balance between technical viability, environment acceptability and affordability would be delivered by option 1 – to build one or two new rock groynes on East Beach.
This will need £2.3million in partnership funding, which project leader East Devon District Council (EDDC) said will be a challenge.
It will also require shingle to be shifted around or imported on an ongoing basis – and Councillor Cathy Gardner questioned how the authority can commit to such funding.
She told the Herald: “It is extremely unlikely – I would say impossible – that EDDC can ringfence monies for the next 100-odd years for recharging the beach.
“Selecting an option that requires long-term maintenance in such an uncertain financial climate has to be madness. District councils all over the country are facing huge financial challenges due to continued government cutbacks. How can we expect beach recharging to be done?”
A funding subgroup has been formed to see if the higher level of funding is available for option 4B. If it can do so in the next six months, the preferred option could change.
Cllr Gardner said 4B could cost much less than currently estimated, but neither option can be properly costed without computer modelling and tank testing.
It can take between four to six years to secure partnership funding and steering group chairman Cllr Andrew Moulding said ‘this must not be delayed’.
Cllr Matt Booth, who sits on the new subgroup, said: “The newly formed funding subgroup will seek funding opportunities not only for the breakwaters, but also the more affordable option of rock groynes and beach recharging and recycling.
“It is vital that everyone on the steering group continues to work together to find the best and most effective solutions to meet the objectives of the BMP.”
Sidmouth beach plan - questions over ongoing costs - News - Sidmouth Herald
This is the District Council's press release:
Sidmouth Draft Beach Management Plan and options appraisal sent to Steering Group
21 September 2016
Rock groynes recommended as best long term affordable option, but £2.3m partnership funding still required
East Devon District Council’s project team for the Sidmouth and East
Beach Management Plan (BMP) has sent the draft management plan and options appraisal to the BMP steering group (SG) (comprising members of community groups in Sidmouth, as well as the town, district and county councils, regulatory and public bodies). This is to allow the different SG members time to comment over the next month before the BMP is completed by early November.
The options appraisal report, which was issued on Tuesday 20 September 2016, summarises the work carried out to date by CH2M (the council’s coastal flood and erosion risk management consultants) on the coastal processes, economics, defence assessment, environmental impacts and includes an appraisal of the
shortlisted options.
The BMP itself sets out the plan for the management, monitoring and maintenance of the beach and hard defences across Sidmouth and East Beach, as well as an action plan to guide the future management of this area. It aims to provide a technically, environmentally and socially sustainable management approach for the next five years, including further development of the long-term preferred option
The beach management plan recognises that a form of offshore breakwaters (either parallel to the shore or angled) is the technically preferred option to maintain a healthy beach at Sidmouth and reduce erosion on East Beach.
However, giving consideration to which option provides the best balance between technical viability, environment acceptability and affordability, the beach management plan recommends that the best option in the long term to protect Sidmouth from flooding and erosion is to construct one or two new rock groynes on East Beach and to shorten the River Sid training wall and East Pier. This intervention would be supported by ongoing recharge (import of new shingle) and recycling (moving shingle along the beach as required). To deliver this option will require around £2.3M of partnership funding locally, which will be a challenge.
Should work by the funding sub-group over the next six months demonstrate that a higher level (around £11M) of partnership funding is available locally, then the preferred option could change.
Councillor Andrew Moulding, Chairman of the Steering Group said:
We have reached an exciting, but challenging stage in the beach management plan process. Now that a preferred option has been identified, we must endeavour to find potential partnership funding for works that will reduce erosion on East Beach and protect Sidmouth from coastal flooding. To do this, the council has now set up a sub-group of the BMP steering group to source partnership funding. The group will build on the work already carried out byEast Devon to see what funding might be available locally to implement a beach management scheme across Sidmouth and East Beach.
As Alan Frampton of CH2M has pointed out, it can take between four to six years to secure partnership funding. So this must not be delayed and indeed must take priority.
Councillor Iain Chubb, East Devon District Council’s portfolio holder for the environment said:
The Environment Agency has made it clear that they would like to see a single preferred option that is realistically fundable and we have further meetings with them to discuss funding progress. We greatly appreciate their offer of assistance in helping the funding sub group source partnership funding and set up trusts and we will pay close heed to their warnings over the timeliness of funding for the project. Their input throughout the project has been invaluable. It’s great to see so many representatives of the local community coming forwards to work with us to meet this challenge.
Councillor Matt Booth, East Devon ward member for Sidmouth Town, and a member of the newly formed BMP funding sub-group, said:
The distribution of the draft plan and options appraisal for the BMP by the project team is very welcome and comes after a considerable period of hard work from all those involved. The consultants have recommended breakwaters and variations thereof as the technically preferred option. However, the newly formed funding sub-group will seek funding opportunities not only for the breakwaters, but also the more affordable option of rock groynes/beach recharging/recycling. It is vital that everyone on the Steering Group continues to work together
21 September 2016 - Sidmouth Draft Beach Management Plan and options appraisal sent to Steering Group - East Devon
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