Cash injection will help plug funding gap for beach management plan

South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee approves £500,000 award, which will help plug funding gap for Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan

On Thursday 9 January 2020, East Devon District Council's Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan (BMP) scheme came one step closer to being fully funded, when the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (SWRFCC) agreed to grant the BMP £500,000 to help bridge the effective funding gap of £1.5million.

Depending on the level of contributions from other potential sources that have been identified such as Utilities companies, East Devon's Housing service and Sidmouth Lifeboat, the effective funding gap has now been brought down to around £1million, which must be found before the scheme can achieve grant funding and deliver an improved beach management scheme for Sidmouth via the preferred option for the Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan.

However, the current £1m funding gap could increase if these identified potential sources do not contribute.

Commenting on the grant, Cllr Stuart Hughes, Sidmouth County Councillor and district ward member for Sidmouth Sidford said: "I am delighted that the members of the finance sub group agreed with the case that I made for this additional funding and I was able to show local support for funding for the scheme including the town, district and county councils and local residents of Cliff Road.

"This is a very welcome contribution to the BMP, and considerably reduces the funding gap of £1.5million, which is required to be found locally.

"We are still working on additional funding sources to fully close the funding gap, but this grant has helped the shortfall drop to £1m."

The SWRFCC is a committee established by the Environment Agency under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, which brings together members appointed by Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) and independent members with relevant experience.

One of its purposes is to encourage efficient, targeted and risk-based investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management that represents value for money and benefits local communities.

It carries this out by carefully allocating funding for the whole south west to where it is most required.

Cllr Cathy Gardner and Cllr Denise Bickley, ward members for Sidmouth Town, Cllr John Loudoun, ward member for Sidmouth rural, and Cllr Stuart Hughes, all said: "East Devon and the town council are working hard to find the contributions required to close the funding gap, currently around £1 million.

"We hope that the required funding can be found for this vital protection for our town.

"Climate change is increasing the risk of flooding from the sea and we need to address that risk.

"Unfortunately the government will not provide all the required funding which means the some of the funding has to be found locally."