DRAFT – FOR AGREEMENT ON 5TH FEBRUARY
MINUTES OF THE ALDE AND ORE ESTUARY PARTNERSHIP HELD ON
THURSDAY 4th DECEMBER 2014 IN ORFORD TOWN HALL
PRESENT
Edward Greenwell
Guy Heald
Alison Andrews
Richard Marson
Tim Beach
Peter Smith
David McGinity
Brian Johnson
Karen Thomas
Rodney West
Barry Leach
Lizzie Hammond
Amanda Bettinson
(Chairman, Farmer Nominee)
(Finance and Business)
(A&O Association Nominee)
(Aldeburgh Town Council Nominee)
(Snape Parish Council Nominee)
(Orford and Gedgrave Parish Council Nominee)
(Butley Parish Council Nominee)
(Boyton and Bawdsey Parish Council Nominee)
(Environment Agency)
(Ecological Representative for RSPB, NT, SWT)
(Aldeburgh and Orford Business Associations Nominee)
(Householder Representative)
(Partnership Secretary)
ADVISORS
Jane Burch
Emma Hay
Haidee Stephens
(SCC)
(Natural England)
(SCHU)
IN ATTENDANCE
Andrew Hawes
Frances Barnwell
Giles Bloomfield
(Hawes Associates- Partnership Consultant)
(Secretary AOET)
(IDB Engineer)
APOLOGIES
Cllr Jane Marson
Bill Parker
(Landowner Nominee)
(SCDC)
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
Lindsay Clubb, Tunstall PC,
Trevor Wilkinson
Roger Baxter
1.
PRIVATE SESSION
At a private session the Partnership agreed to the appointment of the Landscape
Partnership to provide a statement for SCDC in support of enabling development to
part fund the proposed upgrading of the defences.
2.
PREVIOUS MINUTES
The minutes were agreed with 2 exceptions:
i) Minute 4 Enabling Development penultimate sentence should read “Value of
every site would be variable but it was thought approximately £50K would be an
average value per plot for a dwelling on a site of say 5-10 plots”
ii) Minute 7 – 100 years should read “a mid to long term”
Minutes altered and placed on the web site.
3.
MATTERS ARISING
Footpath Trial – Construction will start shortly on land at Martlesham, the site
chosen for the trial as the landowner was in any event repairing the wall. Two low
sills which will be overtopped at high tides are to be incorporated to test the various
materials as would have been used at Aldeburgh or Orford. An Engineering
appraisal and public opinion will be sort in the spring.
NE SIP – although this is an evolving document it is now available on the NE
website
(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improvement-
Action
programme-for-englands-natura-2000-sites-ipens)
FC1 realignment – discussions are still continuing and hopefully will conclude
shortly.
4.
ENABLING DEVELOPMENT
The Chairman and Cllr Jane Marson had met with Cllr Andy Smith and Cllr Geoff
Holdcroft, Cabinet member for Planning, who are supportive of the enabling
development initiative and are keen for this to be agreed prior to the election. With
the appointment of the Landscape Partnership it is hoped that a statement in
support of ED can be provided early in the new year. A consultation with the
parishes and the community to discuss the first few sites would be arranged post
election.
5.
ESTUARY PLAN
Jane Burch noted that the remodelling data at present being sought by the EA and
Professor Pye would be required before anything further on the sustainability
appraisal could be assessed. It would also be necessary to get a feel for the number
of enabling development properties that would be required to fund at least part of
the shortfall in Government funds. It was thought that about 80-140 houses across
18 parishes would be an early assessment of the housing required. JB noted it
would be useful to ask SCC Highways for an unofficial opinion on the proposed
sites as they might ultimately have the final veto on ease of access/egress onto the
highway. It was also noted that the criteria guidelines for enabling development had
not been adopted by SCDC but it was hoped they would become a supplementary
planning document or a material consideration.
6.
SLAUGHDEN COASTAL FRONTAGE
Karen Thomas reported that the EA are in discussions with the MMO in an attempt
to fast track the licences required for work to place rocks in front of the sea wall.
Considerable savings are being made by placing an order for rocks, to be delivered in
February, to coincide with the Clacton Scheme. Designs and statutory approval
need to be in place before the MMO will start the licence process which normally
takes 14 weeks. This would put a February start at significant risk. Letters of
support from the Partnership and SCAR may help to ensure a speedier process and
KT would advise if this was necessary. RM noted that action was required rather
than talking and thought the Mayor of Aldeburgh should also write to support this
work.
KT also discussed the reports that the EA and NE had commissioned from Prof
Bradbury (who had recently died before finalising his report) and Prof Julian Orford.
As they were both coming to the same conclusions Prof. Orford’s report would be
utilised by both agencies. An options appraisal would be required to assess funding
of various proposals from maintenance, holistic approach of managing the shingle
differently, sand or shingle engines, and several million pounds on a major capital
scheme. There would be a wide consultation in 2015.
7.
i) SNAPE REPAIR WORKS
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Giles Bloomfield reported that 3rds of the wall had been repaired with 5,000 tons of clay
and although a further 1800 tons of clay was stockpiled, and a further 1000 due, it was
too wet for the machines to negotiate the marsh. With the private funding, and further
EA funding that has been made available, it is hoped that work will be finalised by the
end of the financial year (a requirement for the reinstatement funding) or earlier if it
freezes. The project has benefited hugely from developers generously giving clay which
would otherwise have been sent to landfill.
Clay stock piles:
the Waste Licensing Team are discussing a broader licensing
2
EG
KT
agreement with regard to amounts (in excess of 5000 tons) and location of storage sites
across the estuary. KT agreed that the EA would write to the IDB to discuss location
details.
KT
ii) HAZLEWOOD MARSH
The breach had been deepened to allow the marsh to drain to enable wall defences to be
built. NE expressed surprise as they had not been consulted on these works. The new
river walls within the marsh are yet to be finished. Thanks are due to SWT who have
been very neighbourly in allowing these works to proceed. It was noted that the
number of birds on the site have greatly increased. The EA provided £10,000 to
facilitate SWT with the formation of islands within the site to support breeding avocets.
The EA also funded £30,000 for localised protection for the residents however Trevor
Wilkinson is concerned that the deeper breach has altered the dynamics of volume and
velocity into the marsh as his newly built bund is now being overtopped. It is hoped
that the data collected by EA and Prof. Pye may inform the situation. It was regretted
that as the houses had not flooded little financial help was on offer. AH agreed to
check the wall levels.
AH
iii) UPPER ESTUARY SURVEYS
Results of the surveys at Snape and Butley with possible areas at Boyton to balance
Hazlewood should be available by early March and these would feed into a new flood
risk model.
8.
9.
NEW SALTINGS PROJECTS
DMcG discussed various sites that had been viewed by boat and would be preparing a
paper for the January meeting with sites maps and project costs. It was felt it may be
useful to widen the saltings brief to include sites other than the toe of the wall. EG
asked that Ham Creek should be listed as a possible candidate and DMcG was also
asked to discuss with SWT whether the Saltmarsh Group could help with re-establishing
of saltmarsh within Hazlewood Marsh.
It was agreed that landowners should be
approached to help fund the projects once the scheme and total costs were established.
Haidee Stephens thought it would be useful to have a suite of projects worked up to take
advantage of any funding from the Sustainable Development Fund and other local
charities. Monitoring accretion would take place in March: initial findings were looking
encouraging as in excess of 200mm appeared to have been gained at Orford in some
places.
WEB SITE
It was agreed essential to have a significant website which would greatly assist the
community in understanding the flood risks to the estuary and it could help in
supporting local fund raising. It was thought £2-5,000 would be required to set up the
site. The Partnership would like a volunteer webmaster - please send any further
comments or offers of help to Lizzie Hammond (lizzie@suffolkcottageholidays.com) –
perhaps there is a parish clerk who would be prepared to help? Funding this may need
to come from Locality Budgets, sponsorship from local businesses, Suffolk Foundation
etc. All ideas are welcome.
10.
TAX BENEFITS FOR FLOOD DEFENCE
It was welcome news that the Government was to introduce tax incentives for business
contributions to flood defence schemes which will now be tax deductible.
11.
MEETINGS will be 5th Feb, 26th March and 26th May 2015 at 2pm in Orford
Town Hall
AJB/9.12.14
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DMcG
ALL