Arundel talk unites effort to shore up flood defences

The talk was part of this month’s Arundel Flood Fair. The event, which was attended by more than 75 residents, was organised by Mike De Lara, chairman of the Arundel Flood Risk Community Group, with backing from Arundel Town Council and Arun District Council. The meeting, held in Arundel Town Hall, in Maltravers Street, was the first of its kind and was in response to wide-spread flooding which affected the town last December. Mr de Lara said that a greater unity had been forged as a result of the day. He said: “The best outcome from this event was the unity between all the exhibitors, the practical advice shared and ideas about further help that can be offered to those who need help.” Last year, inadequate defences saw some homeowners being inundated with floodwater when the River Arun quickly rose to unexpected levels following severe weather. Mr Herbert had previously met with some of the residents who had been flooded, and he called a meeting earlier this year to discuss the impact, response and future prevention. The meeting was attended by senior representatives from the Environment Agency, County Council, District Council and the Arundel Mayor. Speaking of the flood fair, Mr Herbert said he welcomed the event and praised those for organising it. He added: “Local people want to understand what more needs to be done to protect their properties from flooding.” The flood fair was supported by the National Flood Forum – a specialist group, with charitable status, which works with communities to improve their resilience to future flood threat. Also supporting the fair with information stalls were West Sussex County Council, Southern Water and the Environment Agency. Together, the various organisations have been working to look at how Arundel, and other low-lying areas on the Arun, can be protected in the future by delivering a major programme of works known as the Lower Tidal River Arun Strategy (LTRAS). The LTRAS is a long-term solution to flooding requires a capital input of £23 million to implement. The programme will span two decades and has identified a series of key works to flood defences to be delivered in three phases. The first stage of LTRAS is a £600,000 project to repair the flood defence banks immediately to the north and south of Arundel within the next five years. The Government is expected to announce the funding for this later this year.