Eastbourne: Consultation launched into £100m flood-defence scheme

The new scheme aims to better protect 10,000 homes and businesses in Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay

A consultation is being launched into a £100m flood-defence scheme to protect homes on the East Sussex coast.

The Environment Agency says the Eastbourne to Pevensey Bay scheme will "better protect 10,000 homes and businesses from flooding".

Infrastructure, including the local railway and the A27, will also be protected under the project.

Online consultations begin on Tuesday for what is billed as one of England's largest coastal flood-risk schemes.

The Environment Agency said the investment is needed due to rising sea levels and to prepare for increasingly powerful storms.

'Sobering reminder'

The organisation said £176.5m is being invested in more than 200 schemes in 2021/22 and a total of £5.2bn of investment over the next six years.

The defence plans come after devastating flooding which claimed dozens of lives in Europe in July.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: "Tragic recent events in Germany and Belgium serve as a sobering reminder of how devastating flooding can be.

"We are standing by communities and will bolster defences against flooding across England with many thousands more properties better protected by 2027."

Eastbourne borough councillor Jonathan Dow, cabinet member for climate change, said: "Unless we regularly evaluate what new sea defences are needed to withstand rising water levels, local areas that are much loved and home to thousands of residents will face increasing threats from the changing climate in years to come."

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