Thousands of tonnes of sand could be moved by lorry to fight the forces of nature along the Sussex shore. The Environment Agency (EA) wants to move sand and shingle which is swept eastwards from Holywell, Eastbourne, to Cooden Beach, near Bexhill. The EA estimates some 30,000 cubic square metres of sand and shingle are swept eastwards through the tide and stormy weather.
It said the plans will protect 18,000 homes and businesses in the Eastbourne area. The Met Office has warned of sea levels rising by at least a metre by the end of the century, so the EA has created the plans to defend 15 kilometres of coast on either side of Eastbourne from flooding and erosion. Now, residents and business owners in the area have the chance to see how the Environment Agency will defend the coastline from flooding.
Three drop-in events are being held in the coming days across Eastbourne and Pevensey, and the plans have also been posted online . Shifting sands in huge dumper trucks back the other way is a key plank of phase one of proposals to protect properties, transport links and other services. With the sand and shingle back in place, the sea will lose power as it hits the beach.
Nick Gray, flood-risk manager for the EA in Sussex, said: “It’s about adapting to the changing climate. We know far more now. Sea levels could rise by 10cm in the next ten years, and around a metre by 2100.
“Small changes to the beach management that already happens will put us in a better place to the end o.