Hundreds of Gosport homes at risk of flooding as cash for defences dries up

Gosport Borough Council says there is not enough cash left to deliver flood defence schemes in Alverstoke and Forton.

The proposed schemes would reduce flood risk to 341 properties over the next 50 years from a one in 100 year event – also known as a one per cent annual exceedance probability.

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Councillor Peter Chegwyn, leader of Gosport Borough Council, said: ‘Construction work at the Alverstoke and Forton sites has been put on hold due to inflationary pressures and a lack of the funding required from the government’s Environment Agency to cover the extra costs.

‘The council is still committed to these much-needed coastal defences but responsibility for funding rests largely with the Environment Agency, not the council.

‘The council is working hard to ensure that the schemes can go ahead but we do need the Environment Agency to agree the additional funding required for this to happen.

‘Options are being considered for resuming the projects and solutions are being developed for challenges that have come to light at the sites.

‘Both projects have been affected by unprecedented inflation in the civil engineering industry.’

In August last year, several risks surfaced during the construction of both schemes including the discovery of high voltage electricity cables and a badger setts.

The works also coincided with unprecedented challenges from the cost of inflation and the supply of construction materials.

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The Alverstoke flood defence was originally funded in 2018 from Environment Agency grant aid totalling £932,238 – of which £28,390 remains.

The council has up to £393,269 of available funding which remains insufficient to meet the expected construction costs which have increased through inflation.

The Forton scheme was granted £660,145 in 2018 for the design, licences, consents, procurement and site works – now £59,545 remains.

Up to £485,516 is available through grant aid contingency and other government department funding, but this will not meet the expected construction costs.

The exact funding gap is to be calculated over the next three months.