Decision

The approved planning consented flood defence design adjacent to Sussex Yacht Club in Shoreham requires the implementation of joint operational procedure agreed between Adur District Council and Sussex Yacht Club for the management of the flood gates once construction of the development has been completed.

This decision is for Adur District Council to enter into an agreement with Sussex Yacht Club (SYC) for the management and operation of two Flood Gates that will be installed as part of the Flood Defence construction project adjacent to SYC and Brighton Road in Shoreham. This agreement sets out the terms of the management of the Flood Gates.  

Reasons for the decision

Adur District Council (ADC) will hold the overall ownership, liability and maintenance responsibility of the flood defences, including issuing the instruction to close flood gates. However, this Flood Gates Management Plan adds greater resilience through partnering with the Sussex Yacht Club (SYC) who will use their own team of local, trained volunteers for the physical operation to allow for quicker deployment based on minute-by-minute tidal information - and to allow them to operate and maintain access to their site right up to the event occurring and shortly after it has passed, minimising any potential disruption to the yacht club and its members access.

The Flood Gates Management Plan will ensure suitable procedures and processes are in place to support the ongoing management of the flood defences.

Alternative options considered

Other agencies were approached to manage the flood gates, including the Environment Agency, however they were unable to commit to the resources. Therefore, it was considered necessary to prepare an operational management plan which was practical and agreeable for all parties involved (ADC and SYC), with the emphasis being on reaction speed to mitigate against flood events.

ADC briefly considered being the sole operator, but this wouldn’t practically work with SYC as the gates would likely be sealed the day before a flood event and opened the day after, meaning access and disruption for the SYC could be impacted unnecessarily.

Other Matters Considered:

A key focus has been addressing liability, as SYC is not able to hold any responsibility should the gates fail. The Council's insurance has been confirmed to cover volunteers, provided they are under the Council’s control and appropriately trained. The final management plan has been prepared in full consultation with SYC.

This final protocol includes details on operator training (provided by the contractor, Flood Control International) and a communication system for alerts and confirmations. The Flood Gates Management Plan has now been produced and will be ready for implementation and operation once the flood defences have been completed.