Wind Energy Planning

The UK Environment Agency has no easy task. With massive rises in national debt – public cash for high cost flood defence systems is proving difficult to find.

With much of the east coast of England now a flood zone – under threat from the north sea, the Environment Agency (EA) has a tough job prioritising funds for maintaining and building new flood defences.

The EA has spent the last few years trying to establish where flood defences can be abandoned causing the least impact – socially and financially. It is however struggling to find anywhere without controversy – given how naturally protective people are about their property.

East Riding of Yorkshire, in the North East of England is one of the areas under threat with much of its area in flood plain. Many of the drainage catchments are almost entirely reliant upon protective embankments or pumping operations for drainage. Without flood defences most of the towns of Beverley, Goole, Howden, Driffield and Bridlington would be affected by flooding. The EA is however proposing to withdraw flood maintenance in rural areas – despite the fact that, according to East Riding Council – with the exception of neighbouring Hull, East Riding had the most properties (over 6000) subject to flooding than anywhere in the country.

The East Riding floods of June 2007 cost £45 million public money – not including individual householders. This must be a strong message to the North East and East of England that we need to do something about climate change now – while we have the opportunity.