Residents should 'accept' Beach Management Plan is in 'the best interests of Sidmouth'

I have been meaning to post something about the Sidmouth Beach Management Plan for a little while as I have been concerned about the reaction that some residents have had to it. So, here's my take on it.

For several years the District Council has been working up a plan to tackle the erosion of the cliffs at East Beach, to better protect Pennington Point and to respond to the forecasted increasing sea levels and changing weather patterns that are expected to lead to rising flooding risk in Sidmouth and significant increased sea over topping along the Esplanade.

A number of us, including myself, who stood in last May's District Council elections did so with the stated objective of wanting, if elected, to move the then stalled Sidmouth Beach Management Plan forward. I was concerned that under the previous Conservative District Council administration the Beach Management Plan had been left to drift and that this was not helpful or appropriate to Sidmouth or its residents.

As I was standing in, and having been elected, I now represent the Sidmouth Rural Ward on the District Council and so I take a particular interest in the Beach Management Plan because the erosion of the cliffs at East Beach and of Pennington Point have a direct and significant detrimental impact on those residents who live on the sea facing side of Cliff Road. They are losing their gardens and the cliff edge is advancing on their properties.

Since May I have been pleased that as one of the six District Councillors who represents Sidmouth and the Sid Valley that all five of us have, regardless of our political affiliations, been speaking and acting with one voice in regards to the Beach Management Plan. This has helped to drive forward the intention of bringing the Plan to fruition as soon as possible.

As local District Councillors we have been working, through a Steering Group, with representatives of the Town Council (of which I am also one), some local community groups, consulting engineers, the District Council's Environment Portfolio Holder and District Council Officers. I believe that as a result we have made significant progress in moving the Plan forward.

The District Council is restricted in what it can do within the Plan for a number of reasons including – funding for the Plan requires the active support and agreement of a number of government agencies including Natural England and the Environment Agency, the funding for the Plan which will cost just under £10m requires the District Council to deliver the work associated with East Beach, Pennington Point and the Esplanade as one single project, and the funding is required to be raised from a number of separate sources.

All of these have led to the development and, as of last year, the adoption of the Plan which has by necessity had to balance many competing demands and to develop the best proposals within a restricted budget, which as I write remains about £1m short of its target. However, work is ongoing to seek to reduce this funding shortfall and to raise the full funding required. At this point we are optimistic about achieving full funding.

Since last May I have realised that there are so many people who have opinions about what should, and equally what shouldn't happen within the Plan. This has often been reflected in comments posted online and it is because of the amount of public interest in the Plan and how it will impact upon Sidmouth that I have decided to write this piece.

As I have said the District Council has had to develop the Beach Management Plan primarily in conjunction with other agencies such as Natural England and the Environment Agency, as well as with the specialist engineers that they have contracted to advise on the Plan and also with having regard for the costs. In addition, the District Council hasn't been short of opinions, ideas and comments from residents about the Plan.

The bottom line for me is that I want to do what I am advised is the right thing for Sidmouth through the Plan and its proposed works. The whole set of issues of how to respond to cliff erosion, changing climate conditions, rising sea temperatures, increased flooding and beach erosion are complex and the recommendations of how to deal with them are based upon historic conditions, assumptions about future conditions and modelling of these.

From my perspective, I, and probably 99.9% of residents, are not experts in these matters which is why I find myself having to work to understand and grapple with what those who are professionals in these matters recommend. I, and my fellow local District Councillors, have worked through and questioned the professional advice and that is why we are supporting the proposals for Sidmouth's future defences that are set out in the Plan.

In doing this we are having to balance a range of competing demands – what the professional advisers tell us the likely future issues and conditions will be, what should be done to respond to these, not wanting to spoil the look of our wonderful town, sea front and beaches, keeping within necessary financial constraints and hearing what residents say.

You may not agree with what the Plan proposes for Sidmouth or even agree with the rationale behind the proposals, but from all of the professional advice that has been given to the District Council, doing nothing is not an option. The rest becomes subjective. You either agree with the proposals or you don't. You either like the proposals or you don't.

What I do ask of residents is that you accept that your District Councillors, their professional advisers and their Officers are taking the Beach Management Plan forward in the best interests of Sidmouth and its residents.

I ask residents to think about why you believe we are taking the Plan forward and to accept it not because as District Councillors we are doing this in a flight of fancy, we aren't doing this because we want to make the Esplanade look awful and destroy the tourist trade, we aren't doing this because we are corrupt and we aren't doing this because we don't care about Sidmouth.

We are doing what the Plan proposes because it is what the professional advice recommends against a back drop where the climate is changing for the worst and so as a town Sidmouth needs to prepare as the Plan recommends.

For more information on the Beach Management Plan, click the red button below.