Publication: “Selsey Life” January 2008

SOS

Bunn Leisure were finally able to start their coast protection works, near the Oasis. Natural England’s objections about potential damage to the clay were cleverly circumvented, by putting a bed of shingle on the beach at low tide, then landing the barges on this. Unfortunately, with all the delays, no sooner had the project started, we had several weeks of bad storms.

The storm of 9th December wreaked havoc, with several houses at Medmerry having to be temporarily evacuated. Worse, the sea wall in front of a couple of houses here failed, leaving them at severe risk. Was this inevitable? Well, no. The house owners have, in the past, made efforts to protect their properties and this bit of frontage is, currently, the responsibility of the Environment Agency.

Under the Agency’s “management”, the beach level here has dropped 8 feet in the past year. The storm left the metal shuttering (which forms the front part of the defence) undermined, a new section of concrete sea wall leaning outwards at an alarming angle, and the owners’ concrete defences shattered. Nobody from the Agency visited - the owner of one house was left trying to shore up his defences before the next high tide. The Agency bulldozers - a few yards away – were occupied in a desperate race to plug the gaps in the beach.

It was a shambles, created by nature and man. Nature provided the stormy sea. Man provided the bureaucratic tangle that left the sea to its ravages. The Agency had allowed the sea wall here to fail – as an “erosion defence” the Agency doesn’t have to repair it (the Agency only has to maintain “flood defences”). The house owners had built some defences themselves, but weren’t allowed to put in proper foundations, because this would have “damaged” Natural England’s precious underlying clay.

We urgently need a different approach. Planning and other policies should facilitate coast defence, and procedures need streamlining & simplifying. This is a challenge for government and local authorities alike. We are urging all parties to move in this direction quickly, because as the storm of 9th December proves - the sea will not wait.

On a brighter note, SOS unveiled its new-look website in December. Our thanks go to SOS member Ian Sharp, who volunteered to do all the technical work. Take a look at www.saveourselsey.org, and you will see the improved design. There are new photos (sent in by members), and a huge amount of useful information.

It’s now approaching a year since SOS was formed - we aim to hold our first AGM in March. All members are welcome; please check the website for the official announcement. We will post further details in next month’s Selsey Life.

Meanwhile, we wish all our members a safe, happy and prosperous New Year. We achieved an enormous amount in 2007, but there’s plenty more to do, and it can’t be done without your continued support. Thank you all.