Looking out of my window as I write this, trying to make out the Birmingham skyline through the raindrops running down the pane (I’m here for the Conservative Party Conference), I think we can confidently say that the last knockings of summer are behind us. We are now truly ensconced in autumn, and probably sooner than we’d like, winter.
Some of our communities know too well the impacts that the rain can cause in terms of flooding, and the county council continues to work hard on mitigating these effects.
But it is a different type of flooding I wanted to highlight today – the kind that emanates from the sea.
Although I live in a more land-locked part of Suffolk, I enjoy regular trips to the coast, whether for work or for pleasure. From Felixstowe in the south to Lowestoft in the north, and the multitude of spots in-between, we are a haven for coastal-related tourism, commerce and industry.
Suffolk really is a special place in this respect, bringing holiday-makers from around the country, whilst being recognised as a crucial player in securing the nation’s low carbon energy future – regular readers will be familiar with the council’s on-going challenges to solar farms, pylons and all the associated infrastructure, as we work hard to protect our communities.
But part of our coastline at Benacre, near Lowestoft, is under imminent threat from the sea. Preliminary work on flood defences has been underway at the site, near the A12 at Benacre sluice, which is close to being breached. Agencies have been working hard on immediate flood prevention measures, but a much bigger project is needed to protect the area.
If nothing is done, dozens of local homes and hundreds of acres of farmland will be under severe threat in the very near future. The A12 would flood up to twice a day with the tides, essentially cutting the east of the county in two.
Left unattended, the repercussions would be catastrophic. There would be significant costs to the county council alone, from having to manage regular road closures, to delivering an alternative long-term solution to protect the A12.
So what is being done?
The good news is that the Benacre and Kessingland Managed Realignment Scheme has been drawn up. It’s a £59 million project to be funded by a range of organisations, including a planned £2 million from county council, which has already been earmarked in our budget, and will be put before Cabinet next week for approval.
The final piece of the jigsaw came with yesterday’s news that Sizewell C will commit £25 million to the project, meaning that all funding is now in place, and work is expected begin in the Spring next year.
This is great news on so many levels. The new defences against flooding will protect the A12, local homes, farmland and give security to the local economy and tourism. It will also create hundreds of acres of valuable inter-tidal habitat for wildlife and people to enjoy.
It will create a new 82-hectare saltmarsh which will provide a habitat for sea-fish, invertebrates, wading birds and a wide range of other wildlife. It will improve 52 kilometres of local rivers and protect 11 million cubic metres of local freshwater from the encroachment of sea water. The area will be open to walkers, bird watchers and nature lovers, giving a boost to local tourism.
Doing nothing was simply not an option. If this scheme did not go ahead, the impacts would not bear thinking about – particular around the flooding of the A12.
If you don’t have cause to travel around that northern part of the county, imagine your nearest A-road being cut off twice a day for hours at a time, with all the additional pressures and complications that would bring.
I am genuinely delighted that this project can make its way to the finishing line. Much like the Gull Wing bridge which we have just delivered up the road in Lowestoft, it goes to show that not all infrastructure projects are divisive and controversial - the right project in the right place can bring huge benefits to a local area and its economy.
Cllr Richard Rout
Deputy Cabinet Member for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects
Suffolk County Council
