This in from Andrew Turner’s office, in their own words, Ed
Andrew Turner, the Island’s MP has welcomed the news that funding has been allocated to two important Island projects.
Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for the Department made a statement this morning in the House of Commons following the recent flooding and extreme weather.
Monkton Mead Brook
Funding allocations for a number of projects were announced; included is an allocation of £200,000 in 2014/15 for further work to find the preferred solution to solve the flooding issues at Monkton Mead Brook together with a commitment for significant funds in future years.
West Wight coastal strategy
There is also £100,000 for the Isle of Wight Council to produce a Coastal Strategy for the West Wight. Funding for the major work on tidal flood defences at Embankment Road, Bembridge kicks off in 2015/16. The Government has also confirmed that both town and country will be defended – contrary to suggestions made recently by Lord Smith Chairman of the Environment Agency.
The full extent of the damage caused by recent weather has not yet been evaluated, and a rapid review will be carried out by the Government. Support will be given to affected areas under the Bellwin Scheme, a government initiative for local authorities to apply for funding to cope with the immediate response to unforeseen emergencies. Funding will be increased from the usual 85% to 100% of costs and the threshold to apply for assistance reduced.
Mr Turner commented after the announcement:
“The longstanding issues at Monkton Mead cause problems for many Islanders in the Ryde area. It is imperative that the right solution is identified quickly and once it has been agreed that work to deal with the issues starts promptly. This announcement moves that closer, along with the commitment to deal with tidal flooding problems at Bembridge.
“I also welcome the funding to look at the wider strategy for the coastline around the West Wight. Many people are concerned about the cliff fall at Totland which has led to the closure of the coastal path and the Council has recently published a report into that specific problem.
“However it is also important to look at the wider picture. The area is key to our tourist trade and I know that many people will want to contribute to this debate. The suggestion that the countryside would be abandoned and protection provided only for towns was completely wrong – I am very glad the Government has now made that clear with this announcement of very significant amounts of money to assist the Island.”
Andrew Gilham, the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Risk Manager said:
“I am pleased that we have been able to secure funding for these important projects in 2014/15. We are committed to work in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council, Southern Water and the island communities to reduce flood risk as much as possible with the resources given to us by Government.
“We have been working hard to identify options for reducing flood risk from the Monkton Mead Brook. This funding will enable us to conclude this work and is an important step towards starting construction work on site in the future.”
Image: © Used with the kind permission of the Isle of Wight council
