APPENDIX 29
Memorandum submitted
by the Director of Planning and Transportation, Norfolk County
Council (F42)
I refer to Julian Clark's letter of 10 March
1998 inviting written evidence to the Agriculture Committee's
enquiry into flood and coastal defence. I hope that the following
comments will be of interest to the Committee.
A significant concern that has come to the fore
recently is the need to consider the requirement to replace important
habitats that are likely to be lost as a result of managed retreat
of coastal defences. We are particularly concerned about this
in Norfolk, where we have many habitats of the highest quality
and importance around much of our coast. Many of these are potentially
threatened by sea level rise and managed retreat (as well, of
course, as unmanaged retreat). I submit that much greater consideration
needs to be given to taking action at an early date to secure
new/replacement habitats that will have developed over a sufficient
period of time such that the relevant plants and animals will
be able to migrate to them before the current habitat is lost.
We have taken some action with regard to this in our "deposit
Norfolk Structure Plan, 1998", by providing the appropriate
planning policy context (relevant policy attached). However, there
are a great many other questions that need to be resolved such
as: responsibility for finance, who is to take action, time scales,
and which work is to replace habitats that will be lost as opposed
to replacing those already lost over the past several decades.
The local community, with its significant stakeholding,
has much to offer in the development of appropriate schemes/options
for coastal defence and managed retreat. Whilst it is not always
sought, their involvement can lead to: input of valuable local
knowledge to complement technical survey information; greater
understanding on all sides and therefore easier agreement and
acceptance of important principles such as environmental and economic
sustainability of schemes; and local "ownership" of
the results. A particularly interesting example of local community
involvement and consensus building has been at Cley/Salthouse
on the north Norfolk coast recently, where the Environment Agency
commenced such discussions at an early stage.
Currently several areas of Norfolk are subject
to flooding and roads are affected. Whilst causing disruption
in the short term to the highway user, particularly locally generated
traffic which may be forced into long detours, longer term maintenance
problems do arise because of the effects of water. The main coastal
area subject to flooding is the north Norfolk coast, particularly
in the area of the Cley Marshes which leads to several roads,
including the A149, being closed. Various parts of the Broads
are also liable to saline flooding. The extent of these problems
does relate to policies adopted by the Environment Agency, and
if there were any proposal to lessen any of the present sea defences,
then a major impact in terms of local transport links could result.
I hope these points will be of interest to the
Committee.
17 April 1998
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