Newhaven flood alleviation scheme
Updated 11 November 2021
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Scheme is officially opened
On 15 October 2021, Maria Caulfield MP for Lewes unveiled a plaque to mark the completion of the scheme.
Maria Caulfield MP with Simon Moody, Environment Agency Area Director Solent & South Downs unveiling a plaque with key stakeholders.
The Environment Agency and its contractor JacksonHyder have constructed over 4 kilometres of flood defences over the last 4 years in Newhaven, East Sussex.
Overnight railway works completed in June 2021 means that the Environment Agency will be able to install a temporary flood barrier across the railway during future flood events.
Environment Agency staff successfully trialed installing this temporary flood barrier across the railway on 7 November 2021. It is the first of its type in the UK. This exercise was arranged to coincide with planned railway engineering works to avoid disruption to the local community.
Flood barrier being temporarily installed across the railway at Newhaven, East Sussex. Image: @Britt_W@GeodesignB
The scheme has been completed under budget and with a limited time extension, in the face of Covid-19 restrictions. The Environment Agency would like to thank its contractor, JacksonHyder, and project partners:
- Lewes District Council
- South East Local Enterprise Partnership
- Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership
- Newhaven Town Council
The Environment Agency would also like to thank local businesses and residents for their support and patience during construction.
To find out more, watch our 10-minute film about the scheme.
Newhaven flood alleviation scheme.
Background
In December 2013, the south coast of England was hit by a storm surge from the North Sea. The storm saw hurricane-force winds and the highest tide in some places for almost 60 years. The tidal surge in the Newhaven area:
- affected between 50 and 60 properties in the Railway Road area
- closed the railway line between Lewes and Seaford
The scheme
The Environment Agency, in partnership with Lewes District Council, developed a scheme to reduce flood risk from the sea. The scheme reduces the risk of flooding to approximately 430 homes and 390 businesses in and around the East Sussex town of Newhaven.
The scheme is designed to provide a 1-in-200-year standard of protection, taking into account the effects of climate change. This means that in any one year there will be a 0.5% chance that Newhaven will experience flooding from the sea. This greatly increases the flood protection to Newhaven.
In addition to homes and businesses, the scheme also reduces the risk of flooding to local infrastructure such as:
- the road network
- railway line
- a train station
It will:
- support the wider regeneration of Newhaven
- help bring new investment, jobs and homes to the area
The scheme covers both banks of Newhaven, including the commercial areas near the port.
Construction started in January 2017 and the scheme became fully operational in summer 2021.
The scheme was divided into 5 areas:
- Area 1: A26 to Energy Recovery Facility
- Area 2: Energy Recovery Facility to Swing Bridge (East)
- Area 3: Riverside Park to Swing Bridge (West)
- Area 4: Swing Bridge (West) to West Quay
- Area 5: Swing Bridge (East) to Newhaven Beach
Newhaven map of scheme areas
Funding
The scheme cost around £18 million. The majority of funding came from the Environment Agency in the form of central government Flood and Coastal Risk Management Grant in Aid.
The Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and South East Local Enterprise Partnership each contributed £1.5 million. This is part of their wider commitment to regeneration in Newhaven. These contributions were essential to enable the project to proceed. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) were established across the UK by government. They are partnerships between local councils and businesses. They decide what the priorities should be for investment in the area on:
- roads
- buildings
- facilities
Find out more about the LEPs by visiting:
The Environment Agency always seeks funding contributions and co-operation from companies and organisations that will benefit most from the work. At Newhaven, the Environment Agency worked with Network Rail, landowners and others to help with building and securing additional funds for the scheme.
Contact
For more information about the scheme please contact Grant Moffatt or Jeremy Colbeck at the Environment Agency on 03708 506506, or email newhavenfas@environment-agency.gov.uk.
You can also follow the project on Twitter @EnvAgencySE #newhavenFAS.
Postal address:
Guildbourne House
Worthing
Chatsworth Road
Worthing
West Sussex
BN11 1LD