Issue - meetings

The Strategy has been developed in collaboration with New Forest District Council and the Environment Agency, and involved extensive engagement and consultation with communities, key stakeholders, and officers and members of both councils, including four rounds of engagement to shape development of the strategy and a 3-month public consultation between June-August 2023.

The strategy recommends where and when potential defence schemes can be implemented to mitigate the coastal flood and erosion risks to over 3,800 properties over the next 100 years.

However, the strategy identifies a significant funding challenge to deliver these future defences as only a proportion of the total costs are eligible to access national FCERM Grant in Aid funding. Whilst adopting the strategy does not bind BCP Council to any additional financial commitments at this time, it does require BCP Council to develop a funding strategy. When any schemes to implement the strategy are developed in future years, any request for financial contribution from BCP Council will be brought to cabinet as required.

If required funding contributions are not achieved, then the strategy will be to provide a minimum amount of intervention by maintaining existing defences using Council revenue budgets (as occurs currently) for a period of time, but that maintenance will eventually cease. This will mean development and regeneration in at risk areas around Christchurch will not be able to occur due to the increased level of flood and/or coastal change risk this will present.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)    Cabinet approve and adopt the Christchurch Bay & Harbour Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for the BCP Council area;

(b)   In approving and adopting the strategy, that BCP Council commits to developing a funding strategy; and

(c)    Cabinet notes that there is no statutory duty upon BCP Council as the Coast Protection Authority to undertake coast protection works, nor does the adoption of the strategy bind BCP Council to commit to the provision of any funding for the delivery of the identified options.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Climate Response, Environment and Energy

Reason

Approval and adoption of this FCERM strategy by BCP Council, New Forest District Council and the Environment Agency, ensures that technically feasible, environmentally acceptable and economically viable options are developed to reduce the risks from coastal flooding and erosion to people, their properties and the environment over the next 100 years for the coastline from Hengistbury Head to Hurst Spit.

Without such an approach, it is likely that current management approaches would continue in the short term and future coastal defence works would be managed on an ad-hoc or reactive basis which would lead to poor cost efficiency and a general increase in the coastal flood and erosion risk over time.

This contributes to the following BCP Council corporate ambition:

·       Climate change is tackled through sustainable policies and practice.

The Portfolio Holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'E' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the Strategy has been developed in collaboration with New Forest District Council and the Environment Agency, and involved extensive engagement and consultation with communities, key stakeholders, and officers and members of both councils, including four rounds of engagement to shape development of the strategy and a 3-month public consultation between June-August 2023.

Cabinet was informed that the strategy recommends where and when potential defence schemes can be implemented to mitigate the coastal flood and erosion risks to over 3,800 properties over the next 100 years.

In relation to this however, Cabinet was informed that the strategy identifies a significant funding challenge to deliver these future defences as only a proportion of the total costs are eligible to access national FCERM Grant in Aid funding, and that whilst adopting the strategy does not bind BCP Council to any additional financial commitments at this time, it does require BCP Council to develop a funding strategy, and when any schemes to implement the strategy are developed in future years, any request for financial contribution from BCP Council will be brought to cabinet as required.

Cabinet was advised that if required funding contributions are not achieved, then the strategy will be to provide a minimum amount of intervention by maintaining existing defences using Council revenue budgets (as occurs currently) for a period of time, but that maintenance will eventually cease, and that this will mean development and regeneration in at risk areas around Christchurch will not be able to occur due to the increased level of flood and/or coastal change risk this will present.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)        Cabinet approve and adopt the Christchurch Bay & Harbour Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for the BCP Council area.

(b)        In approving and adopting the strategy, that BCP Council commits to developing a funding strategy.

(c)        Cabinet notes that there is no statutory duty upon BCP Council as the Coast Protection Authority to undertake coast protection works, nor does the adoption of the strategy bind BCP Council to commit to the provision of any funding for the delivery of the identified options.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Climate Response, Environment and Energy

Reason

Approval and adoption of this FCERM strategy by BCP Council, New Forest District Council and the Environment Agency, ensures that technically feasible, environmentally acceptable and economically viable options are developed to reduce the risks from coastal flooding and erosion to people, their properties and the environment over the next 100 years for the coastline from Hengistbury Head to Hurst Spit.

Without such an approach, it is likely that current management approaches would continue in the short term and future coastal defence works would be managed on an ad-hoc or reactive basis which would lead to poor cost efficiency and a general  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58