Proposed extensions to Shoreham’s flood defences have been approved by Adur council.
The plans for an extension of the flood defences and surrounding foot/cycle paths around Sussex Yacht Club, submitted by Adur & Worthing Councils, was approved unanimously by Adur District Council’s planning committee at its meeting on Monday, September 2.
The planning application itself is an amendment to original plans from 2018 by the Yacht Club and the council to build a new clubhouse and flood defences, which were completed following their approval in 2019.
The flood wall and railing height will now increase from two metres to 2.2 metres, with the wall to see an increase in thickness from 400mm to 500mm.
Expansions are to be made to the curb along Brighton Road, to reserve space for a future ‘cycle superhighway’ scheme to be built along the road by West Sussex County Council, according to planning officers.
The main double swing access gate to the club is to be replaced with a sliding gate, with a three-metre-wide pedestrian gate to be installed to its east to maintain a public byway.
Sussex Yacht Club objected to the plans, disputing the placement of the byway with WSCC, saying it had ‘always been strongly disputed’ and the club was bringing ‘over 100 years’ of evidence through the appeal process to support its claim.
A representative from the club said at the meeting: “The wall design presented tonight is incomplete, many matters including those of public safety remain unresolved. The additional entrance will lead to confusion in areas. We believe it will cause disruption to traffic and potentially accidents.
“The club is not against the flood wall, we strongly support it, we just need it to be built in a safe way with the entrances in the correct positions that provide effective flood defences for Shoreham.”
Adur council officers said the dispute over the byway was still being determined, and at the moment the legally defined route was what they were working with, with a final decision expected later this year by the county council.
The Mariners Point Residents’ Association also objected to the plans, saying it did not matter what height the defences were, they would be ‘completely ineffective’ as long as there was a gap in the flood defences at Surry Hard.
A representative from the association said: “Surry Hard has now flooded twice in less than six months because of its poor flood defence, approved by this committee in 2015.
“We suggest that you defer approval of this planning application, until you have an effective flood defence plan for Surrey Hard.
“Mariners Point residents have to pay £20,000 a year to protect the building because of a lack because of the flood defence at Surry Hard, but this gap presents a risk to other nearby houses and businesses.”
Chris Locke, a planning agent from Henry Adams on behalf of Adur & Worthing Councils, said no objections from Southern Water, the county council or other official bodies had been submitted in response to the plans.
He said after a consultation with the county council the route for the byway laid out in the plans was the official route of the byway.
Mr Locke added the plans included differences in surfacing material for the two entrances, to signify which entrance was which for drivers wanting to enter the club from Brighton Road.
