Looe Flood Defence and Regeneration Scheme

Update on Looe Flood Defence and Regeneration Scheme

The Looe Flood Defence and Regeneration Scheme team have been very busy over the past few weeks reviewing and analysing the results of the public consultation carried out in June and July 2023.

As promised we have fed back the results to key stakeholder groups and have now published the report on this site for everyone to read. You can read the full report on the latest round of consultation in the Key Documents section.

We are currently working with the Save Banjo Pier (SBP) and other key stakeholders on the next steps to determine if the SBP option is safe and viable before further work is done to bring it up to a level where it can be shared with the community.

This additional work has inevitably delayed the production of the Outline Business Case but we hope to present a case to government for a solution to the tidal flooding problem in Looe early next year.

The unique geographic features of Looe already make the town vulnerable to flood events. Sea levels are projected to rise more rapidly due to climate change, increasing the extent, depth, and frequency of flood events.

Over the past years, Cornwall Council has done a lot of collaborative work with a number of groups within the town. This has included sharing factual survey data with the Looe Marine Conservation Group and listening to their views along with those from the Looe Development Trust, West Looe Town Trust, East Looe Town Trust, Looe Town Council and the RNLI. The project team have also worked with the harbour commissioners, fishermen, leisure boat users, dinghy club and RNLI in a group, known as the “Harbour Users Group”, and met with the “Save Banjo Pier” group.

As previously explained, while the key aim of the scheme is to protect Looe from frequent and severe flooding for the next 50 to 100 years, to secure the funding needed to deliver the scheme we also need to show how it will help to regenerate the town.

Looe will be competing for government funding with other projects up and down the country. We know we can show how the current options will protect the town from flooding, but to gain government support our business case will also need to demonstrate how the preferred option will promote economic growth, both in the town and the wider East Cornwall area. This will mean explaining how the scheme will protect key transport links, including main roads in and out of the town and rail services, and protect and enhance the visitor and marine economy.

Making the economic regeneration case will be vital to securing government funding for the scheme.

Seven options have been considered in detail as part of the development of the scheme. These are:

Adaptation of the town / community
Demountable Barriers
Permanent Flood Walls
Quayside Extension
Tidal Barrier Only
Tidal Barrier with Breakwaters
Carrying on as we are

All these potential options have already been assessed against a range of technical, economic and environmental criteria. These include:

Navigational safety issues
the costs of building and operating the scheme
the effectiveness in protecting the town from the risks of tidal, river, groundwater and surface water flooding
potential challenges in constructing and operating the flood defences
impact on both the marine and terrestrial environments, landscape and seascape and carbon emissions
impact on heritage and amenities
economic benefits

We will be sharing the results of the work being carried out on the Save Banjo Pier option with the public as soon as it is available.

The aim is to demonstrate to government the level of support from the local community for a preferred option having seen the same technical, economic and environmental information provided for all the options.

Detailed information about all the current options, including the potential benefits, challenges and costs of delivering them, together with artists impressions, is available on the Key Documents section of this site https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/looe-flood-defence

The site also includes background information and short films about the history of flooding in Looe, the environmental work which has been carried out for the project up to this date, providing a summary of some areas of interest, and the importance of the scheme to the economy of both the town and the wider South East Cornwall area, as well as outlining some early mitigation ideas.

You can contact us via email at LooeFloodDefence@wsp.com

You can watch a short film explaining about the aims of the Flood Defence and Regeneration Scheme and the seven current options below:

Check out this latest animation showing how flooding will affect Looe in 2070.

Stop press……

The Environment Agency have introduced a new way to make it quicker and easier for people to talk to them about flood risk – if you have a smart phone you can now use a QR code or send a text message to contact them.

About the Looe Flood Defence and Regeneration Scheme

Urgent action needs to be taken to reduce the extremely high risk of further coastal flooding and erosion in Looe.

The main aims of the proposed Flood Defence and Regeneration Scheme are to:

Protect Looe from frequent and severe flooding and damage over the next 50 – 100 years, giving the community time to adapt to a changing climate
Enhance the environmental integrity of the designated sites and water bodies
Work to promote economic growth in East Cornwall by
- Protecting key transport links
- Protecting and enhancing the visitor and marine economy

By delivering a scheme which reduces the risk of flooding, attracts widespread support, secures all the necessary approvals and permissions, and is capable of being funded, we can protect homes, businesses and key transport links in and around the town, at the same time as enhancing the marine and visitor economy.

This is a major project which will have a significant impact on the town.

A number of different options have considered as potential solutions during the past 20 years. Following detailed consideration, only one – the tidal barrier scheme – was considered viable.

In July 2015 Looe Harbour Commissioners funded work to develop proposals for a new food defence scheme. The outcome was supported by 95% of local residents and landowners.

in 2020 Cornwall Council’s Cabinet agreed to support the development of the Looe Flood Defence project, allocating £2.3m from the South-East Cornwall Regeneration Programme.

In 2021 the project was awarded a £2.3 million Defra Flood Defence Grant in Aid grant. This is being used to complete work on preparing the outline business case– the next key stage in securing the Government, and other sources of funding, needed to deliver the scheme.

The scheme is being led by Cornwall Council and the Environment Agency. The partners are also liaising with a number of local organisations, including Looe Harbour Commissioners, Looe Town Council, Looe Development Trust, West Looe Town Trust, East Looe Town Trust, the RNLI and local MP Sheryll Murray to turn the proposals into an economically viable and environmentally friendly solution to the town’s tidal flooding challenges.

There was overwhelming public support for the proposals put forward by the Harbour Commissioners in 2015 and we want to work with the local community to shape the final scheme.

You can view a short film about the scheme below:

Current Timeline

Completion and submission of Outline Business Case 2023 / 2024
Finalising detailed designs 2024
Harbour Revision Order Application 2024
Planning Approval 2024/ 2025
Funding decision 2024 / 2025
Construction 2025 / 2028

You can give us your views on the proposals on our discussion forum. You can also email us at LooeFloodDefence@wsp.com