WORK STARTS ON EAST HEAD - A Partnership Effort

- Fri 3rd Jun 2005

The 6th June sees the first steps in the partnership effort to conserve East Head and to protect the amenity it brings to the Chichester Harbour community and to keep the risk of flooding West Wittering village to a minimum. The National Trust, as owners of East Head, together with Chichester District Council, English Nature, the Environment Agency, West Wittering Estate and the Harbour Conservancy have agreed a short term sand and shingle recycling scheme. The work, using earth moving equipment, will last for about two weeks and will hold the line whilst long term solutions are developed. Why is all this being done? Chichester Harbour – A National Asset
The fabulous landscape, the network of coastal footpaths, the sheltered waters, the abundant wildlife, the harbourside villages and the sand dunes at East Head appeal not only to those who live nearby but to many tourists who travel from afar. West Wittering beach car park alone is estimated to attract half a million visitors each year, making East Head one of the most popular sites in the UK. The Threat
There is a continuing threat to East Head and potentially to the harbour as a whole. The sea has already broken through the Hinge by overwashing a narrow strip connecting East Head to the shore. If this is allowed to continue a new tidal channel may form, exposing to wave action areas that are currently sheltered and damage to fragile footpaths and wildlife habitats may ensue. The current understanding is that a tidal breach would result in the mobilisation of a great deal more material and as a result, sedimentation patterns in the harbour may change, reducing the navigability in large parts of the harbour. East Head may disappear altogether. The exposure of the Snowhill Creek flood defences to increased wave action could result in their failure and consequent flooding of West Wittering village centre. The Short Term Solution
Working in partnership, the organisations involved in the future of East Head have agreed that, in the short term, measures will be taken to strengthen the Hinge by the recycling of sand and shingle form the north of East Head and the lowering and shortening of the terminal groynes on West Wittering beach. Thirteen thousand cubic meters of sand and shingle will be recycled from the northern tip of East Head back to where it originally came from in the Hinge. It will have the effect of sealing the eroded gap in the dunes to a depth of some two metres. This will ensure continued access to East Head at all states of the tide and will help maintain the status quo until a long term solution can be implemented. It will also help support the natural process which is seeking to realign the Hinge eastwards. The work will cost in the region of £15,000 and will be paid for the Harbour Conservancy and Chichester District Council. In addition the National Trust is funding a programme of monitoring by Portsmouth University to assess the impact of the recycling works and will be funding the replacement of the boardwalks and other measures to allow continuing public access to East Head. There will be no access to East Head during the works and members of the public are requested to keep clear of the site for the two weeks that the work is being undertaken. The Long Term Solution
There is estimated to be little risk to life from the changes at East Head. Protection of East Head may therefore be a lower priority for funding than other coastal areas. Any future works may, therefore, have to be funded by the public with contributions from other agencies.
Amongst the bodies with powers to influence the solution are English Nature, Environment Agency, National Trust (the landowner) and Chichester District Council, who must take account of sustainability and environmental issues as well as local economic and wider amenity interests. The challenge is to come up with a solution that preserves the value offered by East Head to the community, in particular it meets the requirements of: - public access
- flood defence
- harbour navigation
- nature conservation
- viabilty and cost effectiveness, such that it attracts private and other funding The various agencies are committed to working together to achieve a solution that will integrate all of these requirements in the long term. Local MP, Andrew Tyrie, said “I strongly support a long term solution that preserves East Head and protects the amenity value of the area.” To see a diagram of how the proposed work please see the East Head page of the website. Alison Beckett
Publicity & Information Officer Chichester Harbour Conservancy
Harbour Office
Itchenor
Chichester
PO20 7AW
T: 01243 512301
W: www.conservancy.co.uk
E: harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

By forum user, Bruce_Bennett