The Environment Agency’s South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee will meet up this Thursday 9th January.
It will consider the Sidmouth BMP Local Levy Bid for £500k.
This funding request follows on from a sub-committee’s recommendation, as covered on these news pages last month:
Beach Management Plan: funding latest
This bid would help bridge the current funding gap of £1.5m – and would be prior to making the very much larger bid for Grant in Aid from Defra (via the EA).
Here are the relevant sections from the agenda:
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APPENDIX B – Sidmouth BMP Preferred Option Coastal Defence Scheme
PROJECT SUMMARY
Following an extensive project to adopt a new BMP for Sidmouth, a preferred option for an improved coastal defence scheme has been proposed and a draft OBC produced. The combined scheme protects all of the frontages at Sidmouth and includes raising the splash wall to increase the standard of protection, constructing a new groyne on East Beach to slow erosion of the cliffs, establish a beach and protect the Eastern end of town as well as beach replenishment across the entire frontage. Around 180 properties will be protected from flooding as well as key commercial and town centre areas.
Before the OBC can be submitted to the EA to draw down grant funding, further work on the partnership funding gap is required. The beach management scheme has a partnership funding shortfall of circa £1.5mil. A funding sub group is actively working on bridging this shortfall by discussing funding with utilities companies and local stakeholders. However the partnership funding gap is a large one, so any source of additional funding such as the Local Levy would be very welcome.
Lead Risk Management Authority: East Devon District Council
Sponsor contact/ name: Thom Buxton-Smith