Newhaven Flood Alleviation Scheme
The 15th October 2021, marked the completion of the Flood Alleviation scheme in Newhaven. The scheme was completed under budget and with a limited time extension, in the face of Covid-19 restrictions.
Background
In December 2013, the south coast of England was hit by a storm surge from the North Sea. The storm saw hurricane-force winds and the highest tide in some places for almost 60 years. The tidal surge in the Newhaven area affected between 50 and 60 properties in the Railway Road area and closed the railway line between Lewes and Seaford
The Scheme
The Environment Agency, in partnership with Lewes District Council, developed a scheme to reduce flood risk from the sea. The scheme reduces the risk of flooding to approximately 430 homes and 390 businesses in and around the East Sussex town of Newhaven.
The scheme is designed to provide a 1-in-200-year standard of protection, taking into account the effects of climate change. This means that in any one year there will be a 0.5% chance that Newhaven will experience flooding from the sea. This greatly increases the flood protection to Newhaven.
In addition to homes and businesses, the scheme also reduces the risk of flooding to local infrastructure such as;
the road network, railway line and train station. It is hoped that this will support the wider regeneration of Newhaven and help bring new investment, jobs and homes to the area.
The scheme covers both banks of Newhaven, including the commercial areas near the port.
Construction started in January 2017 and the scheme became fully operational in summer 2021.
The scheme was divided into 5 areas:
Area 1: A26 to Energy Recovery Facility
Area 2: Energy Recovery Facility to Swing Bridge (East)
Area 3: Riverside Park to Swing Bridge (West)
Area 4: Swing Bridge (West) to West Quay
Area 5: Swing Bridge (East) to Newhaven Beach
Newhaven map of scheme areas
Funding
The scheme cost around £18 million. The majority of funding came from the Environment Agency in the form of central government Flood and Coastal Risk Management Grant in Aid.
The Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and South East Local Enterprise Partnership each contributed £1.5 million. This is part of their wider commitment to regeneration in Newhaven. These contributions were essential to enable the project to proceed. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) were established across the UK by government. They are partnerships between local councils and businesses. They decide what the priorities should be for investment in the area on: Roads, Buildings and Facilities
The Environment Agency always seeks funding contributions and co-operation from companies and organisations that will benefit most from the work. At Newhaven, the Environment Agency worked with Network Rail, landowners and others to help with building and securing additional funds for the scheme.
To find out more, watch the Environmental Agency’s 10-minute film about the scheme.
The Environment Agency would like to thank its contractor, JacksonHyder, and project partners: Lewes District Council, South East Local Enterprise Partnership, Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and Newhaven Town Council
The Environment Agency would also like to thank local businesses and residents for their support and patience during construction.