Proposed Matting To Use On The Cliffs.

This is the Eco method we wanted to adopt and use to stabilise the cliff face....

NO, NO, NO NO.

WHAT  CAN  YOU  SAY...

Addition note added after the video was made.

Where do we go from here! It seems that all is not lost however. There now needs to be negotiation about how we go about the cliff stabilisation and how we keep the fauna although self seeding would occure very quickly. 
The race is between "doing it or losing it" so a common sense approach must be adopted.
We could all end up with nothing and everyone then loses in the end... 
Food for thought me thinks!

Now there's a thought! - Interaction...

When this is completed perhaps this pilot scheme could be monitored over time to see how successful the project has been for such a small outlay of just £30K.
The plant and tree planting will be a good indication of how stable the surface will become over time and perhaps the local Sheppey College and also Eastchurch School could become involved in the research by monitoring the vegetation growth progress over a period of time to confirm the merits of the project.
Lots of opportunities for both supervised school and college interaction....
Any takers? regards Peter Bruce

Sheppey cliff erosion: Protection work moves closer

• 2 hours ago
 
• From the sectionKent

Image captionTrees and other vegetation help absorb a surfeit of surface water, reducing the risk of erosion

Residents near a cliff edge on the Isle of Sheppey that is falling into the sea are one step away from a lifeline that could buy them valuable time.

Those at risk at Eastchurch Gap are due to meet English Nature on Tuesday, when they hope to get permission to go ahead with work to stabilise the land.

The £30,000 Swale council-funded scheme is intended to slow down erosion.

But there is no sign of an agreement between the council and Environment Agency over long-term protection.

People living in some of the 16 homes under direct threat say that up to 35ft of land has been eroded since 2000 at one spot.

Image captionThe Environment Agency said the rural area could not justify the millions of pounds needed for defences

Swale councillor Peter Whiting says the money is available for the interim work, but cannot go ahead until residents and parish council members have reassured English Nature on some outstanding issues.

"Once that's agreed, they can get on with the work pretty much straight away," he said.

Cost 'not justified'

The plan involves the use of biodegradable matting to hold the rain-soaked soil together until newly planted vegetation has matured sufficiently to absorb the surface water caused by increased rainfall.

But the Environment Agency says a more permanent solution for so few homes cannot be justified.

A spokesman said: "Government funding for flood and coastal risk management needs to demonstrate that the benefits of any actions outweigh the costs.

"The coastline on the north of the Isle of Sheppey is mainly rural and only includes a small number of houses and caravan parks at risk.

"This area cannot currently justify the millions of pounds required to build and maintain the infrastructure and defences to help manage the rate of cliff erosion which has recently been experienced."

Radio Kent - Breakfast. 6 to 9am Fri 18/9/15

Hi all.
It seems that there are very crossed wires with the Environmental Agency as they are giving out all wrong information and don't seem to be aware of the pilot scheme that has been put forward to Swale Council, approved and funded by them after doing considerable research into its feasibility...
THERE IS NO EXCUSE THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS SCHEME AS THEY HAVE BEEN KEPT FULLY AWARE.
It seems that the EA has MANY hands and each hand thinks it knows what its doing but in actual fact it has no clue at all what has been going on with either the group here or Swale Council who have supported us all the way.

Due to the misinformation coming out from the Environmental Agency it seems our scheme will cost MILLIONS OF POUNDS = which is the only figures they deal in - we are doing a pilot scheme costing only £30,000 in total...
I am sure the Environmental Agency added on TWO ZERO's to our figures because they felt there was no way we could be right!
In short please send an email in to Radio Kent :-

(radio.kent.news@bbc.co.uk)  Just do a copy and paste with the email address.

to tell them as the scheme is ready to go except for the few who THINK they know about the scheme but in reality don't have a clue.
I do hope Elizabeth Truss MP reads this (DEFRA).

Below is a copy of the email the committee chairman sent in after the programme today... 

From: malcolmnewell@btinternet.com

Date: 18/09/2015 09:19:50

To: Radio Kent

Subject: Cliff erosion

Dear Sir

On your programme this morning about the cliff erosion at Eastchurch Gap on the Isle of Sheppey certain things were mentioned that are not quite true. Mike Whiting said that the environment said it would be a multi million pound project. A local group run by Mike Whiting and Andrew Bowles have  have £30,000 for the project at Eastchurch Gap which is no way millions of pounds. Also he stated that compensation would be available to re-home people whose homes go over the cliff, not so, the maximum payment offered is £6,000 and that's not for re-homing but to clear the debris left behind. 'Multi millions' which they cant justify as they've already neglected their duties. Under the freedom of information act we have found that they have already spent £3.5 millions taking over a small farm in the area, Great Bell Farm, and have dug a few holes which have already breached the sea wall instead of developing the sea defences . 
=====================================================
Below is a copy of my letter to the radio station...
 Hi Radio Kent Breakfast.

Listened with interest to the Radio Kent's breakfast show this morning 18th) on the erosion at Eastchurch Gap Cliffs and heard the Environment Agency chap going on about it costing millions of pounds...

What a lot of misinformation this guy was delivering to both you and your listeners.

The EA guy has never even bothered to look at the proposed pilot scheme else he would know its only costing around £30k NOT millions as he seems to think.

I recon even if he read anything on what’s proposed he thought its price must be wrong and he has added two more zero’s because the EA only deal in millions (of our money)...

The Council do not give money to an unviable scheme and the money has been allocated for the pilot scheme which clearly shows its viable.

I have to object to idiot’s like the guy in your interview from the EA who have not even bothered to contact Peter Macdonald who has put together the costs, materials and even the contractors to do this pilot scheme which Swale Council see as fully viable and are funding.

YES - ITS IS FUNDED – but nothing to do with the EA who as your interview has shown knows nothing of this pilot scheme costing just £30K because its too small for them to be interested in.

Yes Just £30k.

If the EA would like to see what we can do with just £30k on a pilot scheme let them watch and see how it works when you don't spend millions of pounds.

Instead they seem to be being obstructive (as are another agency) and in so doing are allowing not only houses but our environment to slip into the sea – by doing this they end up saving nothing...

Could this be a new EA idea!

Underwater Management?

Regards Peter Bruce

ps.bruce@hotmail.com

Tel 01795881307