Flood defence plans revealed

THE Environment Agency has revealed its new flood defence plans for Lewes exclusively to the Sussex Express.

The flood-prone river will be channeled through the town between raised walls and embankments.

Longer term, a flood plain will be created on the Lewes Brooks, open farmland south of the A27 and north of Rodmell.

Full details will be revealed at a meeting of the Sussex Flood Defence Committee on Wednesday.

River walls through the town will have to be built up to the height reached by the new Harveys Brewery and W.E.Clark's Jewellers walls by the Cliffe Bridge.

Existing walls are said to be largely in good condition but there will need to be structural surveys to see if they can take the added load.

If negotiations run smoothly, the work could start this time next year. It is estimated to cost around 6 million.

Embankments

The cost will be split between the Environment Agency, the Government and the owners of the walls.

Embankments, running from the town north of the Malling estate, will be built up to the same height as the raised walls.

To the immediate south, the railway land will be made a more efficient floodplain for the Winterbourne Stream.

As far as the flood plain between the A27 and Rodmell is concerned, an Agency spokesman said: 'We want to develop a study in partnership with English Nature to explore the opportunity and to identify the effect any realignment or change of land use will have on the settlements and infrastructure in the area.'

The present embankment there could either be removed completely so that the fields are regularly flooded, or lowered to take occasional flooding freshwater heading downstream.

The floodplain could also be used to handle heavy tides heading upriver.

The problem with that would be the salination of the wetlands, which would be created as part of the scheme and attract potential Government funding.

Commented Paul Mockford, chairman of Lewes Flood Action: 'It is good news that we have a scheme after all this time, but it does seem piecemeal.

'We should get the flood storage scheme and the raising of river walls at the same time that is what the insurance industry is requiring of us.'

The financial cost of the year 2000 floods in the Ouse amounted to some 130 million, with an economic effect on homes and businesses of a further 35 million.

More than 1,000 properties were flooded.

The Environment Agency commissioned Binnie Black and Veatch to assess the impact of the flood, and then asked it to consider the long-term management of the flood defences on the Ouse.

The Ouse has a long history of flooding with references dating back to 1671 for Lewes and 1852 for Uckfield.

BBV found references to 78 previous floods, the majority of which occurred within the last 150 years.

The floods in Lewes in 2000 were probably the most severe since 1801.

Options for dealing with future flooding at Lewes which have been dropped include river widening, river deepening (dredging), diversion channels and a diversion tunnel through the South Downs.