Cuckmere Estuary Partnership

The Environment Agency has ruled that public money cannot be spent on sustaining the existing defences, particularly as there are no homes at risk of flooding in the area, unlike other local flood risk areas such as Lewes.

To prevent future flooding, the defences would not only have to be raised but also widened using artificial rock or concrete structures. The risk of catastrophic failure would be high and the new structures required across the estuary would detract from the natural beauty of the landscape. The cost of such a scheme, including building and maintaining the defences over 100 years, would be very high, at around £18 million.

For these reasons, the Cuckmere Estuary Partnership does not currently believe that maintaining the existing defences is a viable option – although we are interested in hearing any new evidence about this approach.