Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Coastal landscapes - management at Medmerry coast, AV1 Image File Format -…
Coastal landscapes - management at Medmerry coast
Location
West Sussex, near Selsey
What was the managed retreat scheme
It was a scheme adopted as the most cost effective scheme for this stretch of the coastline
It still cost £28 million
The land is low value farmland and caravan sites
It was previously protected by a sea wall too costly to replace
Why was the scheme needed
It was at a huge risk of permanent flooding due to climate change
A shingle ridge was the only protection so in 1990 the council started a programme of beach reprofiling, costing an unsustainable £200,000 a year
There was a cause for concern over 348 homes, roads, water treatment plant, holiday homes
In 2008, the last flood cost £5 million in damage
What did the scheme involve
New embankment using clay, aimed to protect properties
A channel was built to collect drainage water which could then be drained into the inter-tidal area
Rock armour was placed on the edge of the embankment, 60,000 tonnes of rock from Norway
110m hole made in the old shingle bank to allow sea to flood and create new inter-tidal zones
2 car parks, 4 viewpoints and 10km of footpaths, cycle paths and bridle ways to encourage tourism
Outcome
Two holiday parks, main road, treatment works and 350 homes have been protected from flooding
High enough protection for 1000 year flood
Total home worth is £60 million so cost-benefit analysis means the scheme was worth it
180 hectares of land created, good for birds and mammals
Tourism has been boosted and eco-tourism is being offered by some holiday parks
Created a large natural saltmarsh to buffer the sea
Has it been successful
During the 2013/14 winter, the defences survived the worst conditions
Large number of birds and seals now use the coast
Owner of holiday park pleased with outcome and has not flooded since the scheme completion
