Agenda item

Report of the Head of Locality Services - Commissioned

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Locality Services – Commissioned on the Flood and Coastal Erosion Management (FCERM) Strategy review scoping document.

The report indicated that Sefton had a requirement under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to produce a Local Flood Risk Strategy; that the Act required each Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) in England and Wales to set out how it would manage flooding and coastal erosion in its area; that Sefton was a Lead Local Flood Authority and this Strategy would satisfy this statutory need and also satisfied the requirements under the Flood Risk Regulations 2009 for a Flood Risk Management Plan; that the Sefton Strategy was first produced in 2015 and after 3 years it was required to be updated; and therefore the report set out the scope of this update, reviewing what had changed since 2015 and sought views and input on the proposals.

The report detailed the strategic developments since 2015 to be considered in the new strategy in relation to:-

·       Liverpool City Region

·       Sefton 2030

·       UK Climate Predictions update 2018

·       Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs 25 year plan

·       The Sefton Coast Plan

·       Coastal Adaptation Strategy

·       New policies adopted by the FCERM team

The report also detailed funding issues since 2015 to be considered in the new strategy in relation to:-

·       Budgetary issues associated with the FCERM team being merged into a new service area called Green Sefton with the Parks and Green spaces and  Coast and Countryside teams

·       Merseyside Partnership Quick Win Funding

·       Cell 11 Regional Monitoring Programme (Cerms) Funding and Shoreline Management Officer Local Levy funding

·       United Utilities spend programme

The report then highlighted the changes in the understanding of risk associated with:-

·       Shoreline Management Plan review

·       Coastal erosion predictions

·       Climate change predictions

·       Surface Water Management Plan realisation of modelled data

and developments in the way the Council worked relating to:-

·       Sustainable flood risk management

·       Communication

·       Data management and sharing

·       Performance management

The report concluded by detailing the constraints facing the Council due to budget reductions and which meant that priorities were changing and alternative ways of delivering the service were being looked at; and that the FCERM team would be undertaking a review of its strategy and the outcomes and actions set out in the 2015 to 2018 strategy and of the understanding of coastal erosion and flooding both coastal and inland would be undertaken with the most up to date information available. It was anticipated that the final document would be published in January 2019.

Members of the Committee asked questions/made comments on the following issues:-

·       The United Utilities spend programme and the development of their Programme for the 2021-2026 period and the types of local mitigation schemes that may be included

·       The input from elected Members through briefings and reports to Cabinet Members and Overview and Scrutiny Committee

·       Coastal erosion predictions and the fairly significant coastal erosion in places, particularly just North of Hall Road, Blundellsands, where in one storm over 10m of coast was lost; and the potential impact this may have on the adjacent golf course. Reference was made to the Council only receiving funding to protect residential property rather than private land; and that individual stakeholders along the coast were made aware of their responsibilities and were also part of the Sefton Coast Partnership. Finally, it must be acknowledged that sand dunes had the ability to re-form   

·       A Member indicated that he had engaged a consultant to use modelling to assess the feasibility for the creation of a lagoon off the coast from Hightown to Southport

·       Concern was expressed at the housing developments in Kew and their potential negative effect on flooding in the area

·       Concern was expressed about the detrimental impact of paving over gardens and driveways; and it was acknowledged that a long-term strategy was needed to address this problem. Reference was also made to the Council’s Supplementary Planning Document and the requirement to use permeable paving. However, it was again acknowledged that staffing resources within the Planning Service made it difficult to undertake adequate enforcement in this regard

·       Sustainable drainage systems were referred to and how Council Service Areas worked with the Planning Service as part of planning application processes. It was indicated that how planning applications were dealt with regarding flood risk/drainage issues was being reviewed; and that the Merseyside Flood Risk Co-ordinator helped in respect of major planning applications submitted to the Council. The good working relationship was acknowledged and that the Council needed to work with many different organisations to obtain the best outcome for Sefton’s residents regarding flood risk and coastal erosion  

·       The formation of a channel on Crosby Beach near to the Coastguard Station that was causing problems for beach users. This was the result of the prevailing weather conditions and was a natural feature

·       Proposals for the retention of the Alt Training Bank

·       The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs’ production of a 25 year plan which had a number of outcomes and how they would  be reviewed to ensure that such outcomes would be aligned with the Council’s updated strategy and other partners’ plans 

RESOLVED:

That the report on the Flood and Coastal Erosion Management (FCERM) Strategy review scoping document be noted.