Work to prevent the failure of sea defences at Selsey has been approved by Chichester District Council’s planning committee.
During a meeting on Wednesday (July 1), the committee was told that, due to erosion, it was estimated that the defences along a 250m stretch at West Beach had less than 2.5 years of life in them.
The steel piles supporting a concrete apron were described as being in ‘poor condition’ pitted with holes, while the apron itself is cracked and at risk of being undermined by the sea. Should that happen, the defences will fail, placing homes and property at risk.
It’s happened before – extensive storm damage in 2007 saw part of the defences collapse, while in 2022, two sections failed. Despite repairs, the defences have continued to deteriorate.
The council has applied for Grant in Aid from the Environment Agency to help pay for the repairs and expects a response within the next few days.
A spokesman for Coastal Partners – the council’s specialist coastal management team – said the new steel piles will be longer, thicker and more robust. That, combined with the improved marine-grade concrete being used for the apron, is expected to see the repairs last for at least ten years.
The work is expected to take place this summer and should take between 40 and 70 days to complete.
When asked if the repairs would be successful, a planning officer said: “It’s very difficult to say with 100 per cent certainty that it will be successful purely due to the nature of the environment – and we don’t know what storms are going to come.
“We have to do the work. There’s always going to be a level of uncertainty in this environment.”
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