Parts of Lincolnshire could face 'significant challenges' without a flood prevention plan, officials warn

Members of Lincolnshire County Council’s environment scrutiny committee heard that the Environment Agency is developing a flood management strategy – named Humber 2100+ – in response to rising sea levels and more extreme weather patterns.

Councillors heard that the Environment Agency recorded the worst ‘tidal surge’ in more than 60 years in the Humber region back in 2013.

A total of 7,000 hectares of land across the region was flooded and there was significant damage all the way down the east coast.

The Environment Agency is currently developing three flood prevention programmes aimed at tackling rising sea levels and reducing the risk of flooding across Lincolnshire.

This includes Fens 2100+, the Lincolnshire Coast 2100+ and the Humber 2100+ programme.

The organisation is working with local authorities, including Lincolnshire County Council, as well as the Internal Drainage Boards, to address the challenges faced by more extreme weather and rising sea levels.

At a meeting on Friday, February 13, project director for Humber 2100+ programme at the Environment Agency, Sue Manson, said: “We’re saying that unless we work out how we’re going to manage this risk, we would have whole-scale land use change.

“The scale of sea level rise means that at some point in the future, the estuary is going to face significant challenges.

“It’s going to have a substantial impact on the things we value in the area including the role of the Humber and its hinterland in terms of the UK as a whole.

“It’s going to put additional pressure on assets on a daily basis, increasing those maintenance costs and the likelihood of failure.”

Coun Tom Ashton (Conservative – Sibsey and Stickney), who spoke on behalf of East Lindsey District Council, said that all of the proposed flood prevention strategies across the county should work together.

He said: “You’ve seen on that map that in East Lindsey, all of the three Humber 2100 projects that we’ve got going on in Lincolnshire, all come together and all impact on each other individually.

“There isn’t a definitive line on the map. There isn’t a line in the sand on the Lincolnshire coasts that equates to a line on that map that finishes at the Lincolnshire coast.

“It’s not a hard and fast line. The thing that I would always say is that we need a commonality of approach between each of these different Humber 2100+ areas.

“You’ll appreciate we haven’t got the 500,000 population sitting behind the sea wall on Lincolnshire coast, but the people that are living there need exactly the same assurance that the same level of investment, the same attention is given to the coast as there is on the Humber.”

Coun Martin Hill (Conservative – Folkingham Rural) backed the proposed flood prevention programme but raised concerns about the costs which would be required to implement the strategy.

He said: “I fully support that we need to work from a Lincolnshire perspective with the Humber estuary on those issues.

“With all due respect, it’s not just a question of the sea level rising, it’s also that the land is tilting and also we’ve also got a huge area in the Humber and in Lincolnshire which is below sea level.

“So, it’s good we work together, but it is a very high level document and there is an urgency now if we are to secure Lincolnshire and the Humber from flooding.

“So, I’m a bit concerned that in the next phase – I know we’ll have some workshops – and I just wonder how quickly we can get to the stage where there is a collective plan to put to the government because we are talking about huge sums of money required.”

He added that there is “currently no indication of where the money is coming from” and warned that Lincolnshire County Council may have to put some money aside to fund the programme in the future.