Burnham’s sea wall will need to be replaced “with a far higher structure” to protect the town from coastal flooding in the future, the Environment Agency revealed this week as it outlined its long-term proposals for the next few decades.

Dozens of Burnham-On-Sea residents, including Burnham-On-Sea.com, attended a special meeting in the town’s Princess Hall on Tuesday (October 13th), where the agency unveiled a draft version of its Somerset Shoreline Management Plan, which outlines its plans for our coastal defences.

At the event, the Environment Agency’s Angela Proctor said its recommended policy for Burnham is to “continue to minimise the risk of erosion and flooding, through a ‘hold the line’ policy.”

“This will likely involve the maintenance of the sea wall and embankment defences along the open coast and the north bank of the River Brue, as well as dune management at Berrow and Brean to reduce the impacts of recreational pressure on the dunes.”

Angela Proctor also said that in the long term, “the sea wall at Burnham will be replaced by a much larger structure when the existing structure reaches the end of its effective life.” There was no indication of when this might be, although this could be more than 40 years away.

It added that higher defences may also be required along the north bank of the River Brue to address the issue of sea level rises.

Storm waves in Burnham-On-SeaAlmost 100 people attended the event, including local county councillors John Woodman and Alan Ham (pictured top with the EA’s John Buttivant).

Cllr Ham told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Flooding is a great concern for many people living across the Burnham area. It’s often the case that national plans do not take into consideration local views, so it was good to see many people attending this event and making their views known.”

Project manager Angela Proctor from the Environment Agency said: “It is vital that we engage as many people as possible who have an interest in this issue during these consultation events, to ensure we are making informed and sustainable decisions.”

For further information on the Somerset Shoreline Management Plan, including a copy of the draft document, visit here. The three month public consultation period for Somerset runs until January 8th, 2010.

Our photo shows this week’s event in Burnham-On-Sea and, above, a stormy scene in Burnham last year

 
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