Gosport Borough Council Community & Environment Board Meeting

Jan. 8, 2025, 6 p.m.

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This is a meeting of the Community & Environment Board of Gosport Borough Council held on the 8th Jan 2025.

The last meeting of the Community & Environment Board was on the 8th Jan 2025, and the next meeting will be 26th Feb 2025.

Meeting Status

Confirmed

Agenda Published

Yes

Decisions Published

No

Minutes Published

Yes

Meeting Location

Council Chamber

Meeting Recordings

We know of no meeting recordings. If you know of one, let us know.

Agenda

Item Title Minutes
1 Apologies for non-attendance

There were none

2 Declarations of interest

There were none

3 Minutes of the meeting of the board held on 13 November 2024 Minutes Public Pack, 13/11/2024 Community & Environment Board

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 November were signed as a true and correct record.

4 Deputations- Standing Order 3.4

There were none

5 Public Questions- Standing order 3.5

There was one public question in the name of David Kelly

 

QUESTION

In the minutes of the Community and Environment Board meeting dated 21 Sep 22 it was stated that the size and age of the power cable discovered in the Stokes Lake flood defence wall had created unforeseen technical challenges and that officers were working with SSE to resolve them.  Resolution of this issue clearly impacted on project costs and timescales.  As the age and no doubt the condition of this cable continues to deteriorate and 28 months later, can a statement be made as to what viable solution has been decided upon to address this problem and project timescales when funding is granted? This would inform and help manage Alverstoke residents' expectations. Thank you!

 

ANSWER

The position has not changed from that previously reported to the C&E Board, full Council and local residents.  Until the Government's Environment Agency confirm the additional funding required for the Alverstoke Flood Relief scheme to proceed, no further progress can be made.  So far both the former Conservative Government and the current Labour Government have failed to provide the additional funding required for works to go-ahead despite repeated requests from this Council for them to do so.

 

6 Hill Head to Portsmouth Harbour Beach Management Plan Project. 20241127_GBC_CEBoard_v2.0
Appendix B - BMP Technical Document - Executive Summary

The Chairman brought the Members attention to an addendum to the published recommendations.

 

Consideration was given to a report by Coastal Partners seeking approval for project delivery of the Hill Head to Portsmouth Harbour Beach Management Plan in conjunction with Fareham Borough Council.

 

The report was introduced advising Members that the BMP is a technical and operational document, which helps to inform, guide and assist responsible authorities, organisations and individuals in managing a beach.

 

Members were advised that this is the first frontage-wide BMP to be implemented here. Previous beach management works have been undertaken as individual projects, but not under a single unified plan. The BMP will be undertaken in line with the approved policies from the North Solent Shoreline Management Plan, and the River Hamble to Portchester Strategy, to "Hold the Line" along the whole frontage

 

Officers explained that the aim of the BMP is to reinstate healthy beach levels along the frontage to help reduce the risk of coastal flooding and erosion; to increase the life of existing hard coastal defences to the rear of the beaches, and to sustain amenity use along the coastline. It is intended to identify erosive beaches and recommend locations, which need beach management works over the next 10-year period and provides guidance on healthy beach levels, and operational methods for restoring beaches.

 

Members were advised that the project has an allocated budget of £662,485 from the Environment Agency, through both Flood Defence Grant in Aid and Other Government Department funding, which can be unlocked through the successful submission of an Outline Business Case, as highlighted in the paper recommendations.

 

In answer to Members questions officers advised that the outfall at Stokes Bay that, when blocked, causes flooding of the River Alver would be a priority extraction area under the plan. There had been no update from the Environmental Agency regarding clearance of that area which currently is under permissive management.  The other outfall in the Home Park is outside of this plan, and officers advised checking that the MOD are upholding their responsibilities to monitor drainage in this area.

 

Members welcomed this report and plan and hoped it would help address and affect, beach and ocean health, erosion and wildlife habitats.

 

 

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the Board:

·         Approved the implementation, subject to funding approval, of the Beach Management Plan 2024-2034

·         Approved the submission of the Outline Business Case to the Environment Agency to secure funding and progress the implementation of the Plan

·         Approved the submission of appropriate consents for the works proposed by the Plan

·         Authorised the Chief Executive to procure and subsequently enter into an agreement in consultation with the Borough Solicitor to enable delivery of these works

·         Approved Gosport Borough Council to draw-down funding from the Environment Agency and distribute between Gosport Borough Council and Fareham Borough Council under the existing coastal management shared service arrangements, as appropriate.

7 Any other items

The Chairman asked Coastal Partners to update members on the Alverstoke Flood Defence Scheme.

 

 

The Council remain committed to the much-needed improvements to sea defences at Alverstoke. There are 130 properties at risk of flooding here, over the next 50 years.

 

The devastating April flooding has confirmed the need for the scheme, and our thoughts are with those who are still recovering from this extreme tidal flooding event. Across our region some 192 homes flooded that evening, including 62 at Alverstoke.  

 

As reported at previous C&E boards, construction of the approved scheme was put on pause in September 2022 as we forecast there was insufficient budget to overcome issues with buried utilities, which sit under the proposed flood wall. With no additional funding forthcoming, the site was reinstated to protect the remaining budget.  The project remains on pause.

 

In November 2023 a bid was submitted to the Secretary of State for the Environment to close the funding gap. Following the April flooding the GBC Leader and Chief Executive wrote to Secretary of State to highlight our funding need. We have had no further update on our funding application nor have our colleagues at the Environment Agency.  

 

Since then, we have collated information following the devastating flooding event in April 2024, to strengthen our case for the additional funding to protect the community as well as the local infrastructure. We have started a review our scheme economic business case, as this will likely be the first step to secure any new funding.

 

Once additional funds have been secured it is expected to take 3 years to complete the scheme.  This will include amending the current design alignments, securing new licenses and consents and then construction.  A decision has not been taken with respect to managing the underground utilities, which can either be diverted landwards, or the defence alignment adjusted to avoid these. 

 

In the interim, we encourage the community to sign-up to Environment Agency Flood Warnings and to take steps to make their property as resilient as possible ahead of potential storm and flood events.

 

 

Members were advised that the Section 19 report will be brought to a Board once received.

 

Members hoped that short term mitigation for residents could be explored as the anticipated three years for completion of the scheme, once funded, caused anxiety for those in vulnerable properties.

 

A Member advised caution in raising expectations as nothing can happen until Government funding is secured

Meeting Attendees

Councillor Bob Maynard photo
Vice-Chair
Councillor Bob Maynard

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

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Councillor Julie Westerby photo
Chairman
Councillor Julie Westerby

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

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Councillor Murray  Johnston photo
Committee Member
Councillor Murray Johnston

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

Profile
Councillor Peter Chegwyn photo
ex-Officio
Councillor Peter Chegwyn

Liberal Democrat

In attendance

Profile
Committee Member
Councillor Thomas Finn

LIBDEM

Present, as expected

Committee Member
Councillor Jonathan Brown

LAB

Present, as expected

Councillor Mrs Zoe Huggins photo
Committee Member
Councillor Mrs Zoe Huggins

Conservative

Present, as expected

Profile
Committee Member
Councillor Stevyn Ricketts

CON

Present, as expected

Previous Committee Meetings

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8th Jan 2025 Community & Environment Board

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13th Nov 2024 Community & Environment Board

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18th Sep 2024 Community & Environment Board (Cancelled)

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19th Jun 2024 Community & Environment Board

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28th Feb 2024 Community & Environment Board

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10th Jan 2024 Community & Environment Board

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15th Nov 2023 Community & Environment Board (Cancelled)

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20th Sep 2023 Community & Environment Board

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21st Jun 2023 Community & Environment Board

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1st Mar 2023 Community & Environment Board

Future Committee Meetings

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26th Feb 2025 Community & Environment Board (Cancelled)

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18th Jun 2025 Community & Environment Board

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17th Sep 2025 Community & Environment Board

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12th Nov 2025 Community & Environment Board

Source

This meeting detail is from Gosport Borough Council website