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SOS Bulletin April 2007
Many of you have registered as supporters (over 1000 to date) of our campaign, which is fantastic and we are in the process of registering under the Data Protection Act. Numbers really matter - the more people who've registered, the more influence we have. So, if you have family members, friends or colleagues (they don't have to live in Selsey!) who haven't yet registered, please suggest they register on the website, or by filling in a registration slip. The registration slips can be put into SOS boxes in Selsey Town Council’s Offices and at "In Stitches" (89 The High Street). Also many donations have been received – the current total is £770 – and we would like to thank all of you who have supported us in this way. Printing so far has been our only expenditure. We have also had promises of donations from various commercial ventures in the village.
SOS attended the full District Council meeting of 27th March. [Due to reporting restrictions during the local government election period, we will report on this in our next bulletin.]
Unfortunately, WSCC is now for "managed realignment" at Medmerry. In its response to the Environment Agency's consultation, it states "the creation of a new tidal harbour in this area is the most sustainable…solution". SOS had explained to WSCC that if this happened:
- 28 families' homes would be lost in this "tidal harbour", and they would get no compensation.
- half Selsey's caravan parks could be flooded, with the loss of jobs, and a devastating effect on small businesses and shops in Selsey town.
- the residents of Selsey would have to pay £7.5m (£1,700 per household) for inland flood barriers, simply to avoid becoming an island (there being no promise of government funding).
The caravan parks and their associated businesses contribute over £50m per year to the County's economy, and employ nearly 300 people full time. The £7.5m inland barriers would not just protect Selsey's homes and businesses, but also WSCC's own schools, roads and other infrastructure in our town. We suggested that WSCC should therefore take some serious financial responsibility for protecting the town, both for these reasons, and because the town is part of West Sussex.
We also told WSCC that the Environment Agency had refused to examine the idea of "holding the line" at Medmerry by incorporating commercial ventures (such as a wind farm and marina). These could provide jobs, stimulate the local economy and help pay for the continued coast defence, possibly making it entirely "sustainable". We suggested that this opportunity would be lost under "managed realignment".
Despite this intensive lobbying, WSCC "accepts the case for …managed realignment at Medmerry". SOS is disappointed, but will press for the WSCC to reconsider its position. We believe that "holding the line" is perfectly feasible, and sustainable, if only the authorities approach it with an open mind.
We've done really well with coverage in the local press, but letters to the Chichester Observer (and other newspapers) seem to have dried up. Please remember - if you feel strongly about coast defence (or anything else), the newspaper is waiting to hear your views. Even if your letter is not published, it helps raise the profile of the coast defence issue with the media themselves - so you won't have wasted your time! And, don't forget radio phone-in programmes, too. We hope to be able to alert those of you on email to radio & TV coverage, so you can tune in.
DEFRA is the Department of government that sets the rules ("points system") on which coast defence schemes get money. The EA has to interpret these rules, and propose suitable schemes. The system and the way it is operated is unjust and inconsistent. For example, the EA is obliged to create 100Ha of saltmarsh per year, and has fallen behind on its target. Its "managed realignment" scheme to flood Medmerry would create over 300Ha of saltmarsh, but 28 families would lose their homes, without compensation. You'd think the needs of the families are important, but the EA says "there is no formal weighting mechanism to decide the relative importance of natural habitat against houses". So it's left to the bureaucrats to decide… the same people who've fallen behind on their saltmarsh creation targets.
SOS is highlighting the many inadequacies of the "points system", with a view to getting it changed. This is just one strand of our work - please visit the website for more information.
SOS submitted our official response to the Environment Agency on 28th March. This was received by the Environment Agency in Worthing the following day. It is 10 pages long and you will be able to view it soon on our website. There is also a copy available to read next to the SOS box at the Town Council’s Offices. To date we have received no acknowledgment from the Environment Agency.
We are talking to various bodies around the Peninsula to make up a Steering Committee of residential, commercial and agricultural representatives to produce a consolidated and united front to guarantee the interests of the whole of the Peninsula at Government level. (Andrew Tyrie, our MP, has expressed his willingness to be involved.) We are also pressing the Environment Agency to allow SOS to become a Key Partner during the ongoing review period to make sure that Selsey’s interests are taken into account. We are awaiting responses from them and from Chichester District Council to various outstanding, unanswered questions which we will continue to pursue until we get clarity on them.
SOS is aware of the concern and worry that this coastal review might be causing to residents of all age groups. We have researched other communities around the country with similar problems and these have voiced their concern about people becoming worried about the uncertainties over the future of their homes. Selsey, unfortunately, is now one such community that is now involved with the ridiculous legislation that has been passed with regard to the preferred options for managing the area’s coastal defences over the next 100 years. This 100 year plan has many inconsistencies and has not been properly thought out as to the social and economic consequences. We hope that people will take some comfort from the huge support our SOS campaign is receiving. SOS intends joining up with the other communities, along with their MPs, with the idea of bringing pressure on Government at a ministerial level.
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