The Background
 Lewes
breathed a sigh of relief in September 2002 when the Environment Agency
lauched a flood
defence strategy for the Ouse Valley. Flood walls were to be
raised to give improved standards of flood protection for major parts
of the town. Work would be complete by 2007 so that many previous
flood victims would satisfy conditions
recommended by the Association of British Insurers for continuation
of cover. If further research gave satisfactory results, flood banks
would be lowered downstream of the town so that high tides could spill
over agricultural land instead of flooding the town centre south of Phoenix
Causeway (described as "downstream storage").
Rules for public investment in flood defence meant that the strategy
was far from satisfactory to the people of Lewes. Standards of protection
in the town centre south of Phoenix Causeway were inadequate unless downstream
storage was provided. Moreover, no action was proposed for hard-hit
areas such as Landpot, North Malling, Malling Deanery and Winterbourne.
Nevertheless, Lewes Flood Action welcomed the strategy as a first step,
and started to campaign for improvements that could bring fairness and
protect the prosperity and vitality of our community.
In January, East Sussex County Council agreed
to fund its share of the Flood Defence Programme and detailed site
investigations began in Lewes. The future looked brighter.
In eary February, without publicity, the Department of Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published a list of flood defence projects in
England and Wales. The Ouse Valley strategy was listed as "unapproved".
Later in the month Elliot Morley, the Minister responsible for flood defence,
announced
that an additional £22 million funding had been made available "to
allow new high-priority schemes to proceed in 2003-04, including Lewes,
Bulverhythe in East Sussex, Sandwich and Ipswich - provided
they meet the set criteria".
In mid-March, the position was clarified in a media
release from the Environment Agency and by a letter from Sarah Nason,
the Head of Flood Management Division in the Department of Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs.
It seems that the strategy for defence of the whole town submitted by
the Environment Agency contained too many unknowns for DEFRA to accept
it under the rules for public investment. In
other words, it did not meet the set criteria. The Department
are willing to accept a case for defence of Malling Brooks subject to
clarification of minor points, but schemes for the other seven sections
of the town that are at risk must be refined and resubmitted. Under
the present rules
and policies applied to the information published in the Strategy, it
is likely that only the Cliffe area will score sufficient priority points
to secure public money, and then only for an inadequate scheme.
Lewes Flood Action is seeking an urgent meeting with the Environment
Agency to find out:
- why we are now in this potentially disastrous situation;
- what is the new timetable for action
- what must be done to secure effective flood defences for all who are
at risk.
We will report the outcome, but meanwhile please write to the Minister
responsible, asking him either to change the rules which pose such a great
threat to the prosperity and vitality of our community, or to direct his
officials to consider a plan that will protect the town as a whole rather
than dividing it into haves and have-nots.
Elliott Morley MP
Parliamentary Secretary
Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR.
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