The 'Defend Our Coast Association' ( or DOC for short) has been set up by local people living on the Romney Marsh as a direct result of their dissatisfaction with the lack of local involvement and consultation by various Government bodies during the preparation of Shoreline Management Plans. This had identified the need for a non-political association to campaign on behalf of local people on the Marsh, the borders of which extend across East Sussex and Kent. DOC is committed to defending our coastline, improving our sea defences and reducing the flood risk to the Marsh so that its inhabitants and environment are protected for the future. Read more ...
Site Inspection at Galloways 30.12.2008
DOC arranged a site inspection at Galloways/Lydd Ranges with EA and MOD Staff which took place on 30 December 2008. Our Technical Officer Tony Hills and MOD Staff were able to update the EA on the present state of sea defences at Galloways/Lydd Ranges. Read more »
Posted: December 31st, 2008 under Events, Photos, Sea Defences.
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DOC looks forward with great expectations to the New Year and the planned improvements to our sea defences here on the Romney Marsh although we are fully aware that many other coastal areas within the UK will not be so fortunate. Let us not forget that coastal defence sadly no longer seems to be a foregone conclusion and that we must all continue to campaign for improved policies to protect coastal dwellers all around the country.
Posted: December 31st, 2008 under Press Articles General, Sea Defences.
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At last repairs are being carried out to the groynes at Broomhill.
Over the last few weeks the Environment Agency has been busy renewing parts of the groynes which had been in urgent need of repairs for years! This was a very welcome sight and not a moment too soon given that Broomhill is such a vulnerable link in the sea defences on the Marsh.
Emergency repair works are also planned to take place at the Lydd Ranges over Christmas . Again a very weak point in urgent need of strengthening.
DOC has arranged a site inspection on the state of the sea defences along the Lydd Ranges for the end of December 2008 and will be joined by EA Staff on the day. This will provide an excellent opportunity for DOC to update Environment Agency Staff on the most urgent needs for sea defence repair in this area and our Technical Officer Tony Hills will be on hand to assist. A report will be issued following the inspection.
Posted: December 20th, 2008 under Photos, Sea Defences.
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The Environment Agency has produced a newsletter to update you on the £60 million sea defence project that will reduce flooding for nearly two and a half thousand homes in Dymchurch.
More than 400 people came to see the plans at a recent exhibition and we were pleased with the amount of public support and understanding for the need of the scheme….. Read more »
Posted: December 16th, 2008 under Events, Sea Defences.
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No doubt you will have seen news articles about various other coastal areas in the Southeast (Cuckmere Valley and Deal) , as well as locations all over the country, whose coastal defences have made the headlines recently. For some the news has been better than for others, but the one burning issue which unites us is the fact that we are all passionate to defend our coastline wherever possible. It also points out that time is running out unless these matters are addressed urgently.
Let us hope that policy makers take local expertise and opinions into account when reaching their decisions rather than just employing a blanket policy, the consequences of which could be detrimental to local communities. Value for money is not always the only answer or justification to a scheme!
Posted: December 11th, 2008 under Press Articles General, Sea Defences.
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Sea Wall at Littlestone
The shingle crest looking towards Dungeness showing the actual crest is as narrow as 3 metres in places. The original defence plan (2002) was a shingle depth (seaward) of 10 metres with an emergency shingle feed when and if the shingle dropped to 5metres. The hope was that the shingle would “draw down” and re-profile itself to naturally absorb the wave energy.
Our Technical Officer Tony Hills reports.
Posted: November 15th, 2008 under Photos, Sea Defences.
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Despite the recent stormy weather we yet again have managed to escape the worst scenario. But if the tides over the last few days would have been higher it could have been a different picture for us all on the Romney Marsh!
Continued Re-Shingling
And not even the newly deposited shingle bank was safe from the elements. It clearly emphasises the need for continued maintenance whilst much needed progress must continue to implement permanent solutions for our failing sea defences.
Time will run out if delays occur - whereas the power of the sea will never waiver.
Photographs taken from Jury’s Gap towards Lydd Ranges and Broomhill.
Posted: November 12th, 2008 under Events, Photos, Sea Defences.
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Areas of the Suffolk coast will not be abandoned “unless it is absolutely necessary”, the chairman of the Environment Agency said yesterday as he held a series of meetings with groups concerned at plans to stop maintaining some of the estuary defences.
Lord Smith states :”we want to make sure we protect as much as possible. We need to agree solutions for each individual estuary. I certainly don’t want to abandon anything unless we absolutely have to.” Read more »
Posted: October 30th, 2008 under Press Articles General, Sea Defences.
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Lord Smith
Chris Smith, the new Chairman of the Environment Agency wants the Environment Agency to engage with the public in the battle against climate change!
But for its new Chairman, the challenge is to relate these giant, global issues to the grassroots level, connecting to local communities and involving them in the decision making. It is vital that the agency works alongside communities, rather than imposing solutions on them, Lord Smith argues. Read more »
Posted: October 22nd, 2008 under Press Articles General, Sea Defences.
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Galloways behind Lydd Ranges showing the rate of shingle crest erosion over a ten year period.
Tony Hills (Technical Officer - DOC) states:
” If the beach eroded a cubic metre a year over the six kilometres of coastline behind the ranges it would equate to a shingle loss of six thousand cubic metres per annum. This would indicate that the shingle erosion is greater than the deposition being created by ‘long shore drift’ or by the ‘recharge’ at Jury’s Gap. If the erosion of shingle is to be halted or slowed the EA will have to increase the quality and quantity of the shingle being deposited at Jury’s Gap and/or , in my opinion , construct groynes over a greater length than currently planned. ”
Posted: October 21st, 2008 under Photos, Sea Defences.
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