Pagham beach erosion fears

MP Nick Gibb is writing to the minister for climate change and the environment, Ian Pearson, to seek money for the vital work along Pagham Beach.

Mr Gibb, who represents Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, was yesterday finalising his approach to Mr Pearson in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs after he toured the beach to see the shingle erosion along the low-lying area.

'I am getting together an approach to ministers about how we can get the funding to tackle the erosion. I am concerned about the situation there. There is a substantial amount of beach being eroded each year,' he stated.

'I cannot believe it would be that expensive to put right. It is just a matter of moving shingle on to the beach from somewhere else either in Pagham Harbour or further out.'

He believed about 300,000 would pay for the work. He is liaising with engineers at Arun District Council, which is responsible for the coastal defences along most of the beach frontage, to ensure his comments have the maximum impact with Mr Pearson.

Some 250 bungalows comprise the low-lying Pagham Beach estate along the coastline which forms part of the entrance to Pagham Harbour nature reserve. The exposed shoreline bears the brunt of wave power and storm force winds. The shingle on the beach is usually replenished naturally on a five-yearly cycle. This ensures that the overall amount of erosion is minimal. However, that cycle has been broken for an unknown reason.

This has caused the shingle to be washed out to sea by the tides without any being brought back in to replace it, leaving several beach groynes exposed. Pagham Beach Residents' Association chairman James Wells said the large loss of shingle had become noticeable in the past five months.

He commented: 'We are heartened that Arun is focusing on our concern about beach erosion, especially given the dramatic movement of shingle evident since the beginning of the year.

'Clearly, significant issues have to be addressed in the near future and we look forward to continuing to liaise closely with Pagham Parish Council and the district council about the erosion here.'

It was reassuring to realise the importance given to the issue as reflected in a meeting on the beach last Friday attended by all Pagham's representatives on the district council as well as the council's leader, Cllr Gill Brown.

Pagham Parish Council's chairman Cllr Ray Radmall said its members had been concerned about the situation since last autumn.

A resident of Pagham Beach estate, he was also involved with the meeting. The problem had the potential to be serious for homeowners if it was unallowed to carry on, he explained. 'We are continuing to monitor the situation because the experts say it's very unusual to have such a variation in the cycle.

'It is long overdue for the cycle to change back to its normal pattern,' said Cllr Radmall. 'You can see where the shingle banks offshore have been built up with the extra shingle.

'What is needed is for those shingle banks to be broken up and the shingle put back on to the beach.'

Arun's cabinet member for community safety Cllr Roger Elkins said the council had been working with the Environment Agency and Chichester District Council to look at options for managing erosion between Pagham and East Head.

'This year we expect the Pagham to East Head coastal defence risk strategy to be published, which will address what the next steps are for the two authorities and the Environment Agency.

'We expect the draft strategy to come before Arun's cabinet at the end of this year.'