Q: The water meadows at the north of A259 will not be sustained if salt water is allowed to ingress. Can sluices be introduced or repaired to prevent this?
A: The freshwater system north of the A259 is maintained by a sump under the Cuckmere and would not be affected by management practices south of the road.
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Q: Can silt from meanders be used to build up riverbanks?
A: Using silt to build up the river banks is a possibility. Ideas such as these will need to be assessed by technical experts to understand whether they are practically possible.
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Q: Given EA’s operations elsewhere, there will be plenty of intertidal marshes elsewhere, so what about the unique characteristics of the estuary at present that will be lost if it is allowed to flood?
A: Best available information is that saltmarshes in the UK are being lost to erosion at a rate of 100 hectares per year, with this being most pronounced in south east England. In addition to erosion, saltmarshes are also being lost through piecemeal land claim for industry, port facilities, transport infrastructure, waste disposal and marine developments, through changes in local sediment budgets and through the spread of non-native species. Coastal saltmarsh has been identified as a priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and is internationally important in its own right and for the communities it supports. As such, we have national and international obligations to offset these losses.
The majority of habitats that the estuary currently supports are not unique and are found in large quantities elsewhere in the local area, most notably upstream of the A259. If the estuary was allowed to flood, or rather if it was allowed to become intertidal again, the freshwater habitats that would be lost are already present elsewhere and some compensatory habitats could be created. The saltmarsh and mudflat habitats that are already present in small quantities in the estuary would spread and expand.
The current landscape of grassy field grazed by sheep would change if a naturally functioning estuary was allowed to become re-established. We know from measurements of land levels that large areas of saltmarsh would quickly develop, interspersed with areas of intertidal mudflat where the land is lowest (particularly in some areas of the western floodplain). As the land on the east side of the estuary is higher, and highest around the meanders, for the majority of the time, the landscape there would be largely unchanged – the meanders would be surrounded by vegetation. The creeks that are already visible across the estuary floor would become more visible. It is also worth noting that saltmarsh can be grazed.
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Q: What about the National Park Authority? Should we postpone making a decision (and ask the Environment Agency to postpone withdrawal of the flood defences) until after the NPA is in place and able to express its view?
A: The National Park Authority would not have affected the Environment Agency’s decision to withdraw flood maintenance, as the EA process followed official government (Defra) policy.
The South Downs National Park will be a material consideration in any activities likely to affect the landscape of this nationally designated area. However, the area is already similarly protected, certainly in planning terms, with its current Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty national designation. National Parks have two purposes: conserving natural beauty and promoting opportunities for understanding and enjoyment; if there is a conflict between the two, conservation takes precedence. The National Park does not mean land is “nationalised”, so the views of the relevant landowners will be pre-eminent in any future Cuckmere Estuary planning.
The National Park Authority will effectively be a mini local authority; this is different to the current South Downs Joint Committee, which is, as the name states, a “joint committee” of the 15 local authorities across the area. The timescale suggested by Defra is for the “shadow NPA” (i.e. its members to be in place) by April 2010, with the fully operational SDNPA by April 2011. However, this organisation has to set up from scratch, so it will probably be some time before detailed operational matters are seriously on the agenda (i.e. it is unlikely that the SDNPA will take a view on the Cuckmere Estuary in April 2011).
The National Park Authority will operate within its twin purposes, it will not take over the responsibility of other “authorities”, so the Environment Agency, the Local Highway Authority (ESCC) and others will still have their roles and responsibilities. As such, the SDNPA will not take over the decision-making process for the Cuckmere Estuary; it will, however, be an important player, with a view very much shaped by its express purposes (which are broadly similar to the current South Downs Joint Committee). There is one significant difference over the current arrangements, in that the SDNPA will be the planning authority for the area. However, although it will eventually carry out strategic planning for the South Downs, one option being seriously considered is for the new SDNPA to delegate back to the local authorities the development control function. This is for the SDNPA to decide, so the outcome of this will not be known before 2010 or 2011, hence the likelihood that the SDNPA will not be in a position to take a view on detailed local matters such as the Cuckmere Estuary early on.
The South Downs Joint Committee, though not the same as the future SDNPA, is the current vehicle for views on this nationally protected AONB/NP landscape. The Joint Committee has set solid foundations for the protection, conservation and enhancement of the South Downs.
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Q: Have the Dutch been consulted about sea defences?
A: The Dutch Government’s policy for coastal defence differs greatly from UK’s, primarily because they face very different problems, with large proportions of their land lying below sea level. However, like many other countries, the Dutch have undertaken managed realignment in some areas. In considering the future management of the estuary, the Partnership is keen to learn from other projects both around the country and further afield.
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Q: What is the danger of mosquitos taking over?
A: The existing conditions in the area are actually more likely to support successful breeding populations of mosquitoes than those that would occur in a naturally functioning estuary. At present, mosquitoes can breed in the standing water of the ditches and meanders. In a naturally functioning estuary, the mosquitoes would be far less likely to breed as the water bodies would be regularly flushed and they can’t breed in saline environments.
Of all the species of mosquitoes in this country, only one is known to be capable of carrying the malaria parasite. One species of mosquito did carry malaria in coastal areas of southeast England until 1918. However, this species will not breed in saltmarshes with full strength seawater. In the highly unlikely situation where breeding populations could survive in an intertidal estuary, the adults would first need to bite someone with malaria to pass it on.
People returning from the tropics with malaria feel very ill and almost always get treated quickly before the malaria parasites in their blood have reached the sexual stage which is the stage which can infect mosquitoes. Thus in countries with adequate health services, e.g. Italy, with much hotter climates than ours, malaria transmission has not been re-established since its eradication in the late 1940s, despite the presence of the potential vector mosquitoes and considerable numbers of cases of imported malaria in travellers from malarial countries.
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Q: What about public access? There will be no space for the tourists and residents to walk. There is likely to be an increase in people coming, as this unique area will be even more unique by 2020! There are now very few open spaces left.
A: Maintaining public access to the estuary is a key concern of the Cuckmere Estuary Partnership. Working with nature would allow us to plan and manage the impacts on amenities such as footpaths. The Vanguard Way could be retained with some small diversions where land levels are particularly low. On the Eastern side, the current concrete trackway could also be maintained by diverting or raising those sections that might be flooded at high tide. This would maintain access to the beach and Foxhole Cottages. Alternatives for the two footpaths that currently run along the top of the floodbanks along the river are open for discussion but could include floating boardwalks, bridged sections or new footpaths along the estuary sides that would maintain the circular routes and would give fantastic views across the estuary.
A common misconception is that the Cuckmere estuary would be underwater all the time if allowed to revert to a naturally functioning estuary. This is not the case. The lowest land is to the west of the river. These areas are likely to be covered by every high tide. Higher land on the east side, particularly the land around the meanders, would only be covered for a few hours at the very highest spring tides. A visit to Pagham or Chichester Harbour at low tide will demonstrate how large parts of the estuary would be visible and accessible most of the time.
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Q: Has consideration been given to improving the pedestrian route from Exceat centre to Golden galleon? At present it is appalling!
A: The Partnership is committed to maintaining access in the estuary and would be happy to consider improvements to this route as part of a wider scheme.
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Q: If the present grassed areas adjoining the river meanders (both above and below the causeway) become saltmarshes, will we lose the enormous flocks of geese which currently parade these grass areas and daily fly up and down to Arlington reservoir in magnificent honking ‘v’ formations?
A: The geese (Canada Geese mostly) will probably move to grassland areas north of Exceat bridge to feed but they may well roost in the new estuary at high tide, so it is likely that this spectacle will continue at least some of the time though it is difficult to say for sure.
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