The Regional Minister for the East of England, Barbara Follett
MP, will see first-hand on Monday (June 9) the £10 million coastal
defence improvement works that are underway at Felixstowe to
protect 1,600 homes and businesses.
The Minister will also be having talks with Guy McGregor, Andy
Smith and Simon Tobin, senior councillors from the County, Suffolk
Coastal and Waveney Councils, as well as representatives of Norfolk
councils and local MP John Gummer. The meeting follows a letter to
the Government from the three Leaders of the local councils
expressing urgent concerns about the Environment Agency’s (EA)
proposed policies towards river estuaries.
The Minister will be visiting the Felixstowe South beach on
Monday, June 9, when she will be met by the project’s engineering
team, with local councillors and MPs, followed by two hours of
discussions regarding the serious concerns of the coastal
communities affected by the Blyth strategy and its wider
implications.
The Leaders of Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk County and Waveney Councils
jointly wrote in April to Phil Woolas, the Government Minister
responsible for policy on flood protection, asking to discuss their
concerns about the EA’s planned strategy for the Blyth Estuary.
The letter triggered next week’s meeting with the area’s
Minister, and will be used as an opportunity to express major
concerns about the EA’s plans for the Blyth Estuary and exactly why
they are thought to be totally inappropriate. Barbara Follett has
been asked to report on the discussion to Mr Woolas.
The three councils were united in their letter on five major areas
of concern about the EA’s proposals. These were that:
• The proposed strategy fails to link with other relevant
strategies
• It does not integrate the Shoreline Management Plan with the
Estuary Flood Risk Strategy
• It appears to be based on short-term financial grounds,
rather than a full cost-benefit system
• It does not take account of the economic and social impacts
on the area
• It assumes that its financial impacts can be borne by other
parts of the public sector
The three councils believe that the EA strategy is unacceptable
because of its impacts on local communities and residents, and the
economy, both around the Blyth and those areas reliant on the A12.
It would detrimentally affect the character of the area of
outstanding natural beauty, some internationally important
habitats, and the public’s rights of access to this natural
wonderland.
Councillors from areas affected by recent controversies
regarding the possible withdrawal of defences for the Norfolk Coast
and the Broads will also be attending in view of the very similar
concerns about the possible policy for that area.
Joint press release issued on behalf of GO-East, Suffolk County
Council, Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District
Councils