DOC has just received the latest update from the Environment Agency regarding its progress on the Folkestone to Cliff End Strategy which reads as follows:-

….”The Strategy is with defra’s Wildlife, Habitat and Biodiversity division for them to determine the issues associated with the Habitat Regulations.  They are seeking legal opinion on the compensation habitat package we proposed.  We are awaiting their response and hope to get this at the end of April.

We have gone out to tender for proposals to deliver the Lydd, Hythe, Greatstone and River Rother east schemes from appraisal to construction.  We are keen to package up the work to maximise efficiencies within the programme.  We are expecting the tenders back at the end of this month.

Broomhill Scheme

We have been planning our investigative work to confirm the dimensions of the buried concrete seawall and to confirm the condition of the buried groyne piles. This will involve exposing the buried seawall and a groyne and will help us to decide whether we can reuse the piles elsewhere in the scheme, for example, along the back face of the defence.  We will let you know when this work will commence.

We have also been planning service surveys to confirm the existence and location of any buried services (such as electricity or gas) and site investigation works which will confirm ground conditions and inform scheme design. These activities are planned for the summer and we will let you know when work will start”….

DOC can also confirm that our Technical Officer Tony Hills has been accepted to  sit on the  EA’s Design Board during the design stage of Broomhill with  a further two  Members of the DOC Committee accepted  onto  the EA’s  Interest Board during this stage.