• Frequent flooding from the sea, most recently in 2008, when over £5m of damage was caused
• Several hundreds of thousands spent repairing and maintaining a shingle bank every year
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Why was it needed? (contd)
• Without annual maintenance, 348 properties in Selsey, a water treatment plant and the main road between Chichester and Selsey would be flooded, along with many holiday homes and rental cottages
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When was the scheme created?
Work began in 2011 and it was completed in 2014.
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What did it involve?
• Constructing a new 7km embankment using clay from within the area. The embankment created a new intertidal zone, protecting properties behind it from coastal flooding.
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What did it involve (contd)
• A channel was built behind the embankment to collect draining water. This water is taken back into the intertidal zone via four outfall structures.
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What did it involve? (contd)
• 60,000 tonnes of rock from Norway were used to build up rock armour on the seaward edges of the embankment, linking to the remaining ridge.
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What did it involve? (contd)
• Once the rock armour and embankment were complete, a 110-metre breach was made in the shingle bank on the beach, allowing the sea to flood the land and creating the new intertidal zone.
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Social Benefits
• Selsey now has the best protection from coastal flooding, with only a 1 in 1000 chance of coastal flooding.
• 348 properties are now protected to a standard of 1 in 100 years (previously just 1 in 1 year).
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Social Benefits (contd)
• The scheme avoided a possible breach during severe winter storms in 2013
• The area now has 10km of footpaths, 7km of bike paths, and 5km of bridleways, compared to the previous two small footpaths.
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Economic Benefits
• Caravan parks and Selsey’s main road route are now protected to a standard of 1 in 100 years (previously just 1 in 1 year).
• Local economy has received a boost from an increase in green tourism
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Economic Benefits (contd)
• Caravan parks have been able to extend their season, generating income and jobs. Two new car parks and four viewing points give easy access.
• Vegetation on the salt marsh supports extensive cattle farming, producing expensive beef.
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Environmental Benefits
• 300 hectares of habitat protected- mudflats, feed beds, saline lagoons, grassland
• Includes 183 hectares of newly- created intertidal habitat important to wildlife on an international level.
• Now a huge nature reserve managed by RSPB
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Social Issues
• Some residents feel that the Environmental Agency should have explored other options, such as an offshore reef or continued beach
realignment, and not have given up on the land so easily.
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Social Issues contd.
• Some opponents from outside the area resented a significant sum of money being spent on a scheme in such a sparsely populated area.
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Economic Issues
• Project cost £28 million compared to £0.2 million a year to maintain the shingle wall, though with rising sea levels, this can be challenged quite easily.
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Economic Issues contd.
• Good agricultural land was abandoned, leading to the loss of three farms growing winter wheat and oilseed ****.
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Environmental Issues
Despite extensive planning, the habitats of existing species were disturbed.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Why was it needed? (contd)
Back
• Without annual maintenance, 348 properties in Selsey, a water treatment plant and the main road between Chichester and Selsey would be flooded, along with many holiday homes and rental cottages
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