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Welcome
to our monthly email, keeping you up-to-date with the latest news about the
Medmerry managed realignment scheme.
Click
here
for background information and history of the scheme.
Detailed design is complete
We
have completed the detailed design of the new floodbanks, habitats and
public access, and we have submitted drawings and reports to Chichester
District Council (CDC) so that they can release their planning conditions
for the scheme. The designs will be available for people to see at public
events in August.
As
well as the detailed engineering drawings, our submission to CDC also
includes how we will take account of the archaeology on the site, and
ensure water voles, great crested newts and other protected species will be
safeguarded in the scheme.
On
July 25 we began further investigations into the ground conditions where
the banks are to be built. This will allow us to make any adjustments
necessary to the construction programme in preparation for work starting in
the autumn.
Local involvement and the Medmerry Stakeholders Advisory
Group (MStAG)
We
are holding the next MStAG meeting on Tuesday 30 August, which draws
together representatives of local parish and town councils, access,
environment and residents groups. At this meeting we will share the final
designs for the scheme with the group, and talk through the construction
process in more detail.
We
will also discuss with the group the best ways to communicate with them and
the wider communities, throughout the construction period. As part of our
ongoing communications strategy we have appointed a Public Liaison Officer,
Jacqui Bandy. It is anticipated that Jacqui will be available on site at
least once a week throughout the construction period.
We
will be getting out into the community in the next couple of months,
including an exhibition courtesy of Manhood Wildlife & Heritage at the
Selsey Festival, and some guided walks around parts of the Medmerry site.
We will share more details of these with you soon.
Other
news
· At the last MStAG
meeting, some concerns were raised about the future designation of Medmerry
as a conservation site. We are planning to hold a meeting with some of the
concerned members of MStAG in September, and will feed back a summary of
these discussions to the MStAG group.
· At the seaward
end of the new flood defences there will be rock revetments to protect the
most vulnerable parts of the defences during storms. The rock for this will
be brought in by sea this autumn, and deposited on the beach at high tide,
to be moved behind the beach at low tide by lorry. During these works we
expect to temporarily close sections of the beach for health and safety
reasons. We aim to keep these closures as short as possible, and we will
provide more details nearer the time.
· The RSPB has been
very helpful in starting to prepare the plans for how the farmland in the
site can best be managed during construction. The RSPB will be working with
local farmers to deliver this.
What
will we be doing next?
Our
project schedule is unchanged and we are on programme to start construction
in autumn 2011. Our current schedule is:
·
August
2011: Install special fencing in the places where we will need to trap
reptiles and great crested newts to move them to safer areas. The trapping
will be carried in out in September 2011.
·
September
2011: Construction of the access track to the main site compound from the
Sidlesham water treatment works.
·
October
2011: Main construction works begin, starting with building the floodbanks
that are nearer to the beach.
·
Spring
2012: Construction continues on the new inland flood banks.
·
Autumn
2012: New inland flood banks complete.
·
Spring
2013: Breach made in existing shingle bank. Access to the new footpaths,
cycleways and bridleways opens to the public
Back to top
Need more information?
Further details about the project are available on
our website: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/medmerry
If you have any questions about the project, please
email the project team on: medmerry@environment-agency.gov.uk
If you would like to be taken off the distribution
list for the Medmerry e-update, please let us know by replying to this
email. If you know anyone who would like to receive this e-update please
ask them to contact this email address.
Read More
Colin Maplesden
Project Manager
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