Neglect flood defences at your peril, says CLA (From Western Telegraph)

Neglect flood defences at your peril, says CLA

A major shake-up of the Governments flood defence strategy is urgently needed to tackle the growing threat of rising sea levels in the wake of global warming, landowners have warned.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has urged ministers to step up investment in flood and coastal protection works to improve inadequate maintenance and past neglect.

Any plans to allow the sea or rivers to inundate land in pursuit of flood defence or environmental objectives must include the provision of replacement incomes for owners and local communities whose livelihoods would be damaged by such managed re-alignment schemes, says the CLA.

South and West Wales CLA regional director Jonathan Andrews commented: The Governments own survey of coastal flooding risks has shown that an extra £100 million per year needs to be invested to safeguard existing flood defences in the face of climate change and poor maintenance in the past.

This issue must be confronted under the current review by ministers of spending on flood and coastal defence, and the practice of chronic under-funding must end.

Another critical part of the future investment budget must be the development of realistic rewards and incentives for land managers who sacrifice land in coastal areas, in estuaries and along rivers in the public interest of flood defence under managed re-alignment schemes. The full value of grade one and grade two farmland, and buildings, should be properly reflected in all coastal defence and re-alignment projects.