Coastal Flood Risk Management Strategy Pegwell Bay to Kingsdown
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E.A- rov>fwe^,j Pjox ^ Environment Agency in I Environm ent partnership with A gency Coastal flood risk management strategy Pegwell Bay to Kingsdown guide for local communities Published by: Environment Agency in partnership with Dover District Council Environment Agency Orchard House Endeavour Park London Road Addington West Mailing Kent ME19 5SH www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/consultations/current_consultations/ © Environment Agency The Environment Agency and frequency and intensity of The Environment Agency also Dover District Council are storms, our existing coastal has a legal obligation to protect working together to develop a defences are under increasing endangered habitats such as strategy to manage coastal threat from the elements. This inter-tidal salt marsh and flooding and erosion between consultation document sets out mudflats that form part of a Pegwell Bay and the MoD Rifle the options for the strategy to network of internationally Range at Oldstairs Bay. The manage the area’s coastal and designated sites. These are strategy will also look at tidal tidal river defences over the considered to be at risk from flooding in the River Stour next 100 years. rising sea levels and where downstream of Fordwich. The sections are lost compensatory The Environment Agency and result will be the Pegwell Bay to areas will have to be provided. Dover District Council have Kingsdown coastal strategy. powers to construct flood This document introduces the This new strategy will develop defences for the protection of key issues we need to address the flood management policies people and property where in the strategy and outlines the set out in the Isle of Grain to these are economically justified leading options. It has been South Foreland shoreline and government funds are prepared as part of the public management plan and the available. The amount of consultation on the strategy River Stour catchment flood funding available from central and you are invited to management plan. government is limited and there comment. Details on how to is strong competition for these contact us are provided on the With the climate changing, sea funds from around the country. inside back cover. levels rising and increased ENVIRONMENT AGENCY The frontage of the Pegwell Bay strategy frontage. This stretch is Fordwich, approximately 17 to Kingsdown coastline has two characterised by residential miles upstream. With its distinct characters. To the areas, with agricultural land tributaries it drains a north of Sandwich Bay Estate further back. The shingle considerable part of the Kent the coast is characterised by an beach is reinforced with formal countryside, flowing through extensive dune system behind defences towards the south. the urban areas of Canterbury a sand and shingle beach. The and Sandwich. The area’s close proximity to dunes narrow towards Deal the Continent has led to a rich The area supports large areas with low-lying agricultural land history in trade. Its historic of coastal habitats designated behind. Most of the dunes are buildings and the Cinque Port within the Natura 2000 incorporated into three golf of Sandwich has resulted in the network. These include sites courses, which attract a large area becoming a popular designated as Special number of visitors to the area. destination for visitors, with Protection Areas (SPA), Special The residential area of north numerous facilities and Areas of Conservation (SAC), Deal is also low-lying. recreational activities both land Sites of Special Scientific To the south of Deal the land and water based. Interest (SSSI) and National begins to rise to meet the cliffs Nature Reserves (NNR). The River Stour is tidal up to at the southern end of the 4 Environment Agency Pegwell Bay to Kingsdown coastal strategy strategic options for managing the strategy area The coastal and river frontages shingle beach provides Strategic options within the strategy area have additional protection along the The strategy will set out how we been divided into nine reaches whole of this frontage. need to manage coastal and reflecting the varying nature of tidal flood and erosion risk for Reach 5: Deal Castle to the frontage and the specific the next 100 years. To do this Walmer Castle issues affecting each reach. we will consider for each of the This frontage is characterised nine reaches a range of options Reach 1: Cliffs End to by its wide and open described in the table below. StonarCut shingle beach. Generally low lying coast and Reach 6: Walmer Castle, river frontage sheltered from Coastal strategy Kingsdown and Oldstairs Bay wave energy by the extensive The wide shingle beach at inter-tidal mudflat area in Do nothing - no further Walmer gradually reduces in Sandwich Bay. maintenance or repair work size towards the south. A is undertaken Reach 2: Shell Ness to concrete seawall, timber Sandwich Bay Estate groynes and the shingle beach Do minimum - emergency Sand dunes fronted by a wide protect Kingsdown. A groyned repairs undertaken as sandy foreshore, which narrows shingle beach and rock required towards the southern end of revetment provide erosion Maintain - maintaining the this section. Shingle deposits protection to the exposed area existing defences in their overlay the sand beach along of Oldstairs Bay. current form the northern half of this unit. Reach 7: MoD Rifle Range Sustain - defences are Reach 3: Sandwich Bay Estate The former Rifle Range at the raised and strengthened to This residential area is located foot of cliffs is protected by a sustain the current standard immediately behind a concrete concrete seawall. of protection based revetment (bank) and Reach 8: Sandwich and the natural shingle beach. Improve - defences are Stonar Loop improved to increase the Reach 4: Sandwich Bay Estate River frontage mainly protected standard of protection to Deal Castle by earth embankments, with Between Sandwich Bay Estate flood walls through Sandwich. Managed realignment - and Deal flood protection is moving defences inland in a Reach 9: Stour Valley provided by a colliery shale controlled way to a more River frontage predominantly embankment. Along the Deal sustainable position protected by earth frontage this is replaced by a embankments with floodplains seawall and timber groynes. A on both banks. Environment Acr»nrv Pptruvoll Rav tr> KinocHnuun rnactal ctratom/ ^ Nature can affect the coast and riverbanks in different ways. The level of impact depends on the current and future flooding and erosion risks in the different reaches of the strategy. The condition of the existing flood defences is also a factor in the impacts that can be expected as some are in better condition than others. The following identifies the impact on those reaches at risk of flooding if no action is taken. Reaches 2, 5, 7 and 9 require do nothing or do minimum as described later. Reach 1: Cliffs End to Stonar Cut Reach 4: Sandwich Bay Estate reach and it is expected that If nothing is done, 14 properties to Deal Castle approximately 177 properties would be flooded annually and Almost 1,300 residential and would be lost by 2107. therefore lost by 2107. A further commercial properties are Reach 8: Sandwich and Stonar 24 residential and commercial currently at risk of flooding Loop properties would also be during an extreme tidal event In the current situation some affected by flooding, although (1 in 100 chance of occurring flooding already occurs the damage to individual each year). This would rise to occasionally, most markedly at properties would vary. more than 4,000 by 2107 if no Sandwich Quay. To date, this action was taken, with many of It is also likely to lead to has not resulted in the loss of those lost permanently. flooding of large stretches of properties but there has been the low-lying land of the Along this reach the Cinque some flood damage to property Wantsum Channel, while flood Ports golf course is also likely to in Sandwich in the past - most damage to the A256 is also suffer significant damage, while notably in 1953 and 1983. increasingly likely. the promenade and Pier at Deal Almost 500 properties are would also become increasingly Reach 3: Sandwich Bay Estate currently at risk of flooding vulnerable to flood damage. Although the current defences during a tidal event with a 1 in 20 provide sufficient protection to Reach 6: Walmer, Kingsdown chance of occurring each year. the properties in Sandwich Bay and Oldstairs Bay If no action was taken, by 2107 Estate now, if nothing is done In this reach the main problem some 1,400 properties would be during the next 100 years 38 is erosion of the coastline, affected by flooding to varying properties will be lost due to which will move landward if no degrees during significant tidal annual flooding by 2107. A measures are taken to stop this events, with nearly 600 further 54 properties would be process. There would be a properties affected so badly affected by flooding. steady loss of property in this that they would be lost. 6 Environment Agency Pegwell Bay to Kingsdown coastal strategy shortlisted options For each of the nine reaches a number of appropriate options were short listed for further analysis. To determine the leading option each of the reaches has been considered in terms of: • flood and erosion risk to people and property; • climate change and predicted sea level rise; • cost of the option and value of protected assets; • impact on the natural environment. The following paragraphs outline the characteristics of all nine reaches together with the short-listed options for the relevant reach. The leading option for each reach has been highlighted in blue. Pegwell Bay, Reach 1 Reach 1: Cliffs End to Stonar Cut The only reach combining perimeter boundary while the protection is provided by the coastal and river frontages, A256 provides further land behind the quayside.