Options for major Selsey coastal defence scheme are approved for public engagement this autumn
A major coastal flood prevention scheme for the Selsey coastline has been approved for engagement with local residents later this autumn.
The Selsey Coastal Scheme has been developed by Chichester District Councils coastal engineering experts at Coastal Partners and aims to manage coastal flood and erosion risk along approximately 4.5km of coastline, better protecting 3,900 properties over 100 years. The scheme will replace aging defences and increase protection levels to deal with sea level rise and increased likelihood of storms.
In October, public engagement will take place, giving Selsey residents the opportunity to comment on the leading and supporting options developed for the scheme. Chichester District Councils Cabinet discussed and endorsed the decision to proceed with public engagement at its meeting on 1 September.
It is anticipated that the results of the engagement sessions will help finalise the scheme by the end of this year.
This is a significant scheme that will help protect thousands of residents and businesses in the area - if action isnt taken then the risks will keep on increasing and threaten even more homes in the future, says Councillor Jonathan Brown, Cabinet Member for Environmental Strategy at Chichester District Council. The Selsey coastline has been divided into seven specific areas, or management units to reflect differing coastal processes, constraints and defence requirements for each of those sections.
We feel that the options put forward by Coastal Partners provide a robust approach to managing future coastal change and represent an essential step towards securing a more resilient future for Selsey. I would like to thank everyone so far who has contributed their views as part of the community engagement activities that have been taking place since last year and who has been involved in helping to develop this key infrastructure project.
The main leading option for protecting the coastline is to use a sloping revetment, combined with raising the seawall where necessary to help integrate and accommodate these new structures.
This method would also then be boosted using a series of supporting measures specific to each section of the 4.5-kilometre coastline, such as groynes and ongoing beach management. In addition, setback defences are also proposed in locations where sufficient space is available to help reduce the height of new coastal defences.
Coastal Partners have also been working closely with and meeting regularly with a dedicated Stakeholder Group made up of representatives from seafront businesses, community organisations, and Selsey Town Council.
A public exhibition will take place at Selsey Town Hall in October so that members of the public can view the details of the leading and supporting options. Members of the project team will also be available to answer any questions.
Exhibition details are as follows: Thursday 15 October, 3pm 7.30pm; Friday 16 October, 1pm 7.30pm; Saturday 17 October, 10am 3.30pm.
People can keep up-to-date about the Selsey Coastal Scheme by going to: www.coastalpartners.org.uk/pro...