David Beavan of Southwold
When East Suffolk Council would not let me work on committees in my ward because I wore the wrong colour rosette, I set up my own and made myself chairman!
The Southwold and Walberswick Flood and Coastal Protection Board met throughout 2021 and is supported and recognised by the council.
Many agencies coordinate their efforts to conserve our coast – Environment Agency, CPE, ESC, SCC, Natural England, town and parish councils, harbour suers and landowners.
We start community engagement in 2022 with a talk from Tim O’Riordan, my old prof at UEA, on “Coping Coastal Communities” – how we can prepare for climate change and sea level rise by building resilience.
Southwold and Walberswick Flood and Coastal Protection Broad
In timely fashion, last Christmas, our main access road was closed because of flooding at Potters Bridge. And then the beach breached in January.
We don’t know if the breach will heal again, but if it does not the broad becomes tidal affecting the ecology.
Meanwhile Easton Bavants cliffs continue to erode by 2 metres a year. We are worried that the sea wall will be outflanked and Buss creek flooded to make us an island. We are working with the landowners and the CPE funding team to delay the erosion and provide beach access with a £4m J groyne.
On a positive note our Blue Flag comes back at the Pier next year after extensive works by Anglia Water and the Environment Agency to clean up the Harbour.
Talking of which we are just finishing a £100k study to look at maintaining the harbour. The top project to be submitted to the new Harbour Management Committee seems to be a new South Pier at £10m. But we also need to address the regular flooding of the harbour and the failing sea walls which have always been a concern for the Blyth Estuary Partnership. The southern harbour walls are only 2 metres AOD so threaten houses in Walberswick.
And then we have the erosion of the shingle bank south of Walberswick and the ever-present threat of Sizewell. Plenty to do!
We work together for an integrated plan to be ready for emergencies before they hit us!
Cllr David Beavan, chair. February 2022