£3m sought to protect East Riding coastline
MILLIONS OF pounds is still needed for new coastal defences, as East Riding Council applies for European funding to protect the eroding Holderness coast.
A bid has been submitted to the European Regional Development Fund for £3m to help towards the £5m overall cost of the scheme.
If successful, it would protect up to 110 homes and more than 300 holiday chalets and static caravans by extending the current rock armour defences at Withernsea.
Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart invited Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry MP to Withernsea this week to see first hand the damaging effects of coastal erosion in the East Riding.
He said: “There’s 400 metres more [of defences] to complete the protection of Withernsea, we want to see that in place, I visited the Golden Sands Holiday Park with the Minister and we can see just how close the erosion has come to the road there.
“That’s a vital road going down to Holmpton for blue light services for local residents and therefore we are making the strongest possible case to Government and we hope that in due course we can see a positive announcement about getting that protection as it completes the protection of the town.”
According to recent figures, coastal erosion is swallowing up around 13ft of land a year on unprotected stretches of what is the UK’s fastest eroding coastline.
Mr Berry said the bid was submitted last week to ensure the improvement of the UK’s coastal defences and that he will be working closely with Mr Stuart and other colleagues across Government. The plan is to “hold the line” at the most populated resort towns like Withernsea and Hornsea but to let nature take its course elsewhere.