Alde and Ore Net

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

Malcom Kerby (CCAG) addresses protest meeting at Hickling (Norfolk) on 8 April

This is an experimental Web Site designed by David Andren to assist the Alde and Ore Association and the newly launched group SCAR (SUFFOLK COAST AGAINST RETREAT) develop their Web sites. This site is currently being updated and some links are not working as a result of changes to the main index page.. Please be patient. The latest news link is now fixed - click here to go to news page. Most of the links to the Alde and Ore Association Web site have also been fixed. We now have a link to the Alde and Ore Association's River Defence Committee where you can view copies of their latest Bulletin. This gives details of our survey of the river banks following the tidal surge on 9 November 2007.

Flood warning and weather links have also been added on our links page. Please report any problems to the webmaster.

NEWS HEADLINES (UPDATED 28 APRIL 2008)

COUNCILLOR GUY MACGREGOR CALLS FOR PARLIAMENTARY DEBTATE ON BLYTH ESTUARY PROPOSALS - ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF CONDEMNS PLAN TO FLOOD NORFOLK BROADS - VILLAGERS VENT THEIR FURY AT PROPOSALS TO ABANDON NORFOLK BROADS VILLAGES AT PROTEST MEETING HELD IN ST MARY’S CHURCH HICKLING - GRAHAM HENDERSON, CHAIRMAN OF SCAR, SAYS A WAVE OF OBJECTION TO THE GOVERNMENT'S COASTAL DEFENCE POLICY COULD BUILD INTO A "TSUANMI" OF PROTEST - NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT AGENCY CONFIRMS PLANS TO ABANDON SUFFOLK’S SEA DEFENCES - ABOUT 2,000 PEOPLE JOINED IN THE WALBERSWICK BEACH DEMONSTRATION ON SUNDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 2008, TO PROTEST AT ENVIRONMENT AGENCY’S PROPOSALS TO ABANDON SEA AND RIVER DEFENCES ON THE BLYTH - THE BLYTH ESTUARY GROUP SAY CLAY WALLS BUILT 400 YEARS AGO CAN BE REINSTATED AT A COST OF THOUSANDS OF POUNDS - NOT THE £40 MILLION WHICH THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY ESTIMATES - JOHN GUMMER MP ATTENDS WALBERSWICK DEMONSTRATION AND SAYS GOVERNMENT POLICY MUST BE CHANGED - SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL, SUFFOLK COASTAL DISTRICT COUNCIL AND WAVENEY DISTRICT COUNCIL SAY ENVIRONMENT AGENCY’S PROPOSED STRATEGY FOR THE BLYTH IS UNACCEPTABLE –DAVID ANDREN, CHAIRMAN OF THE ALDE AND ORE ASSOCIATION SAYS PROJECT APPRAISAL METHODOLOGY UNDERLYING BLYTH PROJECT COSTINGS IS FATALLY FLAWED AND THAT HUNDREDS OF HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN TOWNS LIKE ALDEBURGH AND ORFORD ADJACENT TO THE ALDE AND ORE ESTUARY WOULD BE PUT AT RISK IF A SIMILAR APPROACH IS ADOPTED FOR OTHER SUFFOLK ESTUARIES -

Natural England's proposals to allow villages on the Norfolk Broads to be abandoned to the sea have aroused fury. At a meeting held on 8 April meeting it was agreed to present a petition to Parliament protesting at these proposals prepared without any discussion with the local community. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Alde and Ore Association and SCAR (Suffolk Coast Against Retreat). Over 400 residents of Potter Heigham at a meeting on 9 April have asked people throughout the land to join with them in expressing opposition to these proposals. A summary of views expressed at three meetings held in Norfolk Villages can be found by following this link. Army Chief of Staff, Sir Richard Dunnat, has expressed support for the campaign. For more information please go to our News page.

On Friday 25 April the Anglian (Eastern) Region Flood Defence Committee considered a paper by the Environment Agency seeking operational guidance for the Kelling to Lowestoft Ness section of the Shoreline Management Plan. For operational purposes only and without prejudice to further work on longer term issues and other aspects of the Shoreline Management Plan the Regional Flood Defence Committee agreed that the policy should be to hold the line for the Eccles to Winterton Breach Road for the next 50 years because of the considerable assets at risk. This is the section of the Norfolk coast where English Nature are proposing longer term options involving abandoning coastal defences which would lead to the flooding of the Norfolk Broads and villages. Details are set out in the extract from the Shoreline Management which can be viewed or downloaded by following this link. For more details concerning the North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan please go to http://www.northnorfolk.org/acag/ . For details regarding the development of a similar plan for Suffolk please go to http://www.suffolk.smp2.org.uk/index.php.

More information is available on the Hickling Parish Council web site at http://www.hickling-village-norfolk.co.uk/Index.html) and the CCAG web site at http://www.happisburgh.org.uk and http://www.happisburgh.org.uk/press The CCAG group have now set up a national web site for bodies concerned about the lack of funding for coastal defences which can be found by following this link http://www.nvcc.org.uk.

The Environment Agency's (EA) have published their draft strategy for the Blyth Estuary. A copy can be downloaded by following this link (leaflet)

If replicated for the Alde and Ore Estuary this could put hundreds of homes in Aldeburgh, Orford and other villages adjacent to the Alde and Ore Estuary at risk. For more information go to our News pages and the Alde and Ore Association Library section of this web site.

A storm of protest is building up against the Environment Agency's plans for the Blyth. About 2,000 people joined the Walberswick SOS beach demonstration on Sunday 17 February 2008. For more information please go to www.walberswickSOS.co.uk. For latest EADT update click here.
Suffolk County Councillor and Cabinet Member Guy Macgregor has called for Parliamentary debate on proposals. For more information please follow this link.

Some good news at last. Felixstowe gets £10 million plus to fund news defences. For full EADT story please click here.

Work on restoring Orford Quay almost complete. For picture of Sue Johnston, Chairman of the Orford and Gedgrave Parish Council, and Site Manager on 22 April please follow this link

The latest edition of the Alde and Ore Association's newsletter (February 2008) has now been added to this site in the form of a PDF file. To view or download please follow this link. (It is a large file - about 46.5mb and may take some time to download)

Tom Miller-Jones has set up a discussion group for the Alde and Ore at http://groups.google.com/group/alde-ore to which all interested individuals and organisations are invited to contribute their views.

Webmaster: David Andren

Telephone: 01394 450 374 and 07818425937

Email: dandren.edp13@london.edu