"Councils aren't running together then.
Felixstowe are going to build near their gates, but here there is no building yet
Am I missing something? "
J a smart a*se answer would have been your dingy, think about it...
We are in Essex County, and Felixtowe is Suffolk County.
We both share the same high surge tides.
In laymans terms, stand on a sea wall (the same hight for all) and look at the land beside you as it goes further inland.
If that land is lower than the bottom of the flood gates, then at any time our protection from the sea wall or flood gates fail, the plug is pulled and water floods in.
I have photos of the flood gate at Hutleys, St. Osyth when it was closed for our last surge tide,
the sea was at the bottom of the gate, with waves making it higher.
OK, go and stand on that road that you can drive onto the beach, instead of looking out to sea, look back at the hight of the land, then the hight of the caravans.......
Shock / amazement are only just 2 words to describe it...(horror would be another)
OK, walk back to us all in sunny Brooklands, you will pass the huge flood gate by Tower camp (sorry, park resorts)..look back at the land hight...as you keep walking you pass another smaller gate infront of the new flats, stop and look back at the ground level then out to sea....(!!!!!) keep walking till you get to the Sunspot huge gate, look out to sea, then look back at the hight of the land around the market car park, then, how much lower Lotus Way is one way, and Tamerisk Way then onwards to Meadow Way / Broadway / right up to the 3 Jays..
Without sounding contrite, its not rocket science..
The reason the new builds that will / may / if ever / get built round our parts have to meet new flood risk element in planning approval, is quite simply because WE live under the level of the sea, if not all of the time, but part of the time.
Steadman, all them years ago knew this when planning and building Brooklands.
its the reason our roads "run" downhill into the dyke, the dyke was a place for excess water, both sea water and rain water to run off into elsewhere.
As i have not yet been to Felixtowe, to see just how high or low the land actually is, i cannot really say much, except,
if their local websites are worried about local flooding, show pictures of local flooding, then there must be good reason to be so.
The newest of buildings passed by our planning Department @ TDC is one near the Post Office.
The rules / regulations and requirements for that planning application were and has been highlighted elsewhere in our boards, but from memory, it was passed with the clauses, "no sleeping accomadation be allocated on the ground floor"..but,
my near neighbour was refused 7 times for planning application, the last one being
"no living accomadation being allocated on the ground floor"
That one exceeded ALL new and current planning rules at time of application earlier this year, but was still refused....The plot is Brooklands and in being so, one of the highest plots in Jaywick, the same as the new build by the Post Office.....
Planning applications even in Harwich are coming under scrutiny, in respect of flood risk, we have various sites being held up as we speak, ex Bernard buildings being one,
river side appartments in Colchester being another.
The Colchester one had originally had "underground" car parking....
underwater if it flooded would have been more appropiate, but it has been stopped.
Another funny thing about building sites,both new and existing, if you take Clacton sea front at the area near to RNLI new lifeboat station, the sea wall was built to protect the "new" Martello Bay estate, it has had beach replenishment to protect it also, it has a brand new disabled access ramp made as to access the beach by wheelchair users (which is both great and a legal requirement) but that has been made to go OVER the sea wall.
By the Beach Diner, the sea wall is also part of our coastlines protection scheme, but the diner being below the top of the sea wall has its own flood barrier steel door which it has to close on very high tides, and i have been standing inside of the sea wall on surge tide days when the sea water breaches the top, with waves actually going OVER the roof of the building whilst standing there (getting soaking wet) like a fool, but ginning...
The boat slipway used before the RNLI even got there was made high enough to stop normal water going up it (not sure if it has a flood gate.?.)
but yet again, stand at that point. look out to sea, the look at just how much the roadway drops back down to below sea level all over the "new" estate.
try the road as it goes towards jaywick, look at how high the sea wall is, but in fact its not high, but you being much lower and needing an underwater car if it floods..
just at the end of that road, i belive the water drainage system is located.
this i believe works like the one at our martello tower, as it lets our dyke water outfall, flow into the sea at low tides, but not flowing back at high tides..(one way valve)
Talking of slipways, in Brighlingsea, the new Marina has been built 1.8 metres or so above ground leval as its base line hight to be, and has been, built upon that for its many shops, flats and appartments, but, and an important but, at high tides times, the sea water flows quite happlily up the street, and has been known to reach the chip shop uphill about 100 metres or so...(do not park in the parking bays at high tides)
So dearest Jacky,
flooding, its risk, our future, along with all british low lying lands futures....
Are we at risk, well i belive we are not only "at risk" but a very foolish man would build or allow to be built, new ground floor homes in these highlighted areas i mention.
As an aside, i know of one mans attempt of having raised his "sleeping" accomadation off the ground floor, enabling his sea views to be increased and enhanced, but by doing so, has made his home more protected than mine in event of local flooding, and my home is higher than yours...
?....
another strange fact is my homes extension was built to "flood risk specification" being well over 1 metres deep base, block brick walls, all electric plug socket boxes @ mid wall hight, but we sleep on the ground level.............!!!
we can always climb onto the re inforced flat roof and wait for help..........
(keep our own dingy up there.?.)
J, keep the boat in working order.........lol..
Failing that, keep a spare set of keys for the resource centre, it has flood a proof 1st floor..+ communications equipment......lol