Work on Lowestoft's tidal flood barriers is stopping due to more than £100 million budget gap
The decision's been called devastating
Last updated 29th Jan 2024
Work on Lowestoft's tidal flood barriers is stopping.
East Suffolk Council says the council's been left with 'no alternative' because of a budget gap totalling more than £100 million, and no immediate prospect of additional funding being secured.
The scheme, which has cost £15 million so far, is part of the wider Lowestoft Flood Protection programme, which has already seen the completion of 1.5km of tidal flood walls in October 2023, to help mitigate the impacts of weather events.
However, during the design phase for the tidal barrier, and as a result of crippling cost increases relating to materials, labour, design changes and inflation, the council says a £124m funding gap emerged.
It says the project team had engaged with both the Government and the Environment Agency (EA) to seek the necessary additional funding needed to complete the project.
As previously mentioned, £15 million has been spent on the project to date, with this sum accounted for by funds that have already been pledged.
However, the project is scheduled to spend an additional £20 million from January to July 2024 and the council says this amount cannot be covered by pledged funds, creating a £20 million risk for the council.
It now says, although discussions have been ongoing for more than a year, that a decision by the Government and EA will not be made before this additional spending must be committed to.
Thus, despite making them aware of the urgency, East Suffolk Council says it's has been left with no alternative but to halt work on the tidal barrier element of the scheme.
"Devastating"
Cllr Kay Yule, East Suffolk’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Coastal Protection, has described the decision as ‘devastating’ and is hugely disappointed that the Council has been forced to call time on the scheme.
She said: “The business case for the barrier could not be clearer. Prior to the commencement of the Lowestoft Flood Protection scheme, Lowestoft was the only UK coastal town with no formal tidal flood defences, leaving the town at great risk of climate change impacts.
“In 2013 the town suffered significant tidal flooding of homes, businesses and critical infrastructure and without the scheme, were the same event to occur again, the overall cost of the damage to Lowestoft could reach £168 million.
"Incredibly disappointing"
“The barrier would better protect more than 1500 residential properties and 800 businesses in Lowestoft from the risk of flooding and would provide considerable reassurance, and further confidence, to investors in a burgeoning and strategically important location.
"It would provide better protection to key brownfield sites ideally placed for redevelopment, as well as access roads to the new Gull Wing Bridge. The economic benefit of proceeding is simply unarguable. It would also provide a huge boost to the Government’s commitment to net zero by 2050, enabling further development in the offshore wind industry.
“Alongside Lowestoft MP Peter Aldous - who has also worked tirelessly in support of the tidal barrier - we will continue to remind the Government of the necessity and benefits of this scheme. However, their inability to meet the clear, critical funding requirements at this time is incredibly disappointing.”
What does DEFRA say?
“We have been made aware that East Suffolk Council is unable to progress with the proposed Lowestoft Tidal Barrier Project due to cost increases caused by scope changes to the project and inflationary pressures.
“We are investing a record £5.2 billion between 2021-27 to better protect communities from flooding right across the country, including in Lowestoft, and will continue working with the council and other partners to help them develop a viable and affordable proposal.”
"Concerned"
Peter Aldous said: “The 2013 Storm Surge showed how exposed Lowestoft is to the severe weather conditions that we are increasingly experiencing, and it was right that straight away afterwards Waveney District Council (and subsequently East Suffolk Council, through Coastal Partnership East] set about producing a scheme to construct defences to properly protect the town.
"The first two elements of this protection, along Kirkley Stream and the flood walls around the Outer Harbour have been successfully completed, though the final and most challenging part of the project, the installation of a tidal barrage to the east of the Bascule Bridge remains outstanding.
"The scale and ambition of the project has increased over the past 10 years and likewise it’s anticipated cost has risen.
"In 2014 this was estimated at approximately £24 million, in 2020 it had increased to the order of £70 million and today it is estimated at approximately £200 million.
"As a result, there is now a funding gap of the order of £124 million.
"In 2020 Government provided £170 million to 22 flood defence projects across the country, of which the Lowestoft Flood Defence Scheme at £43 million was the largest recipient.
"The Government are currently considering representations from East Suffolk Council, the Environment Agency and myself to meet the current shortfall.
"It is to be hoped that a way forward can be found for work to resume in the near future"
"They are doing so against a backdrop where it is clear that the current national flood defence budget is inadequate, even though at £5.2 billion it is double what it was previously.
"Moreover, there are other similar schemes around the country facing the same inflationary challenges.
"I am also concerned that the way as a country we deliver flood defence schemes is too long winded, is vulnerable to such price escalation and the formula for calculating funding is biased against coastal defence projects.
"These are issues that I highlighted in the debate, which I led on 19th December on coastal erosion in Suffolk and Norfolk and on which I continue to lobby Government.
"Whilst I can understand why East Suffolk Council have made the decision to halt work on the project, it is to be hoped that a way forward can be found for work to resume in the near future, and I continue to make the case to Government so that this can happen.
"Lowestoft does not have adequate flood protection"
"In the meantime, it is important that the temporary barriers that have been deployed in times of emergency continue to be available to protect those areas that remain vulnerable, and that support and funding is provided for those properties that are at risk for them to install their own defence measures.
"71 years after the ‘Big Flood’ of 1953, which caused devastation and loss of life all along the East Coast and which ultimately led to the loss of the Beach Village, it is unacceptable that a town the size of Lowestoft does not have adequate flood protection.
"In recent years progress has been made to ‘right this wrong’. We are now better protected from pluvial and fluvial flooding; flood walls have been installed around the Outer Harbour and progress has been made in planning for the Tidal Barrier.
"I am most grateful to the officer team at East Suffolk Council and Coastal Partnership East for their tireless work on the project, and I shall do all that I can to ensure that they can resume this as soon as possible, so that Lowestoft homes and businesses have the protection that they deserve.”
"A devastating blow"
Jess Asato, Labour’s candidate for Lowestoft said: “The news that the flood barrier is not going forward due to lack of Government funding is a devastating blow for Lowestoft.
"We know it won’t be long before we get a repeat of the havoc caused by the floods in 2013.
"The Conservative government is failing to protect people’s homes, businesses and jobs.
"Local people can’t afford another flood or to put off the regeneration of the town.
"This is exactly why Labour has pledged to prioritise coastal communities and unlock funding for coastal defences.”