[THE PHONE NUMBER AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED ON 3 AUGUST 2022]
The Council of the Isles of Scilly has secured an additional £4.4m towards the Climate Adaptation Scilly project. This extra funding is required because the estimated cost of the project has risen from £3.8m to £8.1m due to inflation and other cost increases.
This additional grant funding has been allocated by the Environment Agency and includes an extra £500k from the Local Levy Fund, administered by the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
The funding will enable the full scope of work for the construction of permanent and demountable coastal sea defences to be completed on the islands of St Mary’s, St Agnes, Bryher and St Martin’s. These works will help the islands manage the risks from coastal flooding for the next 25 years, amid rising sea levels and increasing storms caused by climate change.
The planned works on St Mary’s, which have already been consulted on, remain unchanged and you can find the full details on our Climate Adaptation Scilly webpages. There will be further consultation with off-island residents about proposed works on the off-islands. We will continue to liaise with the community over ongoing works on St Mary's.
The proposed sea defences will help the Isles of Scilly cope with the impacts of climate change for up to 25 years while we collectively consider how to cope with the physical impacts of longer-term climate changes. The Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan currently being developed by the Council with the community and stakeholders will help identify specific climate change risks and develop further adaptation measures to protect our island home.
The coastal protection works are scheduled to commence with delivery of materials at the following times:
- St Mary’s: starting on Monday, 1 August with material deliveries at Porthloo followed by construction in early September, continuing at Porthmellon and Porth Hellick in October and November respectively
- St Agnes: materials deliveries starting in the middle of September 2022 with construction to follow
- Bryher: materials deliveries starting in the middle of October 2022, with construction to follow
Porthloo residents are being informed directly about the specifics of construction scheduled to commence in that area on Monday, 1 August. Read our letter to Porthloo residents.
The works are subject to weather conditions and we will provide updates whenever changes to the schedule are necessary.
We’re aware that this activity will cause disruption to residents and visitors, particularly during the summer months, but we aim to keep this to a minimum. Please bear with us while we complete these necessary works.
If you have any questions about the project, you can email us at adaptivescilly@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 620118.
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Further information
Climate Adaptation Scilly is a comprehensive package of climate change adaptation measures funded by the Environment Agency and the European Union intended to reduce the impact of the physical impacts of climate change on one of the most vulnerable parts of the United Kingdom. The key risks from sea level rise and reducing rainfall are being managed through coastal defence works against coastal flooding and erosion, and through installation of rainwater harvesting systems for businesses. A community strategy (the Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan) is being developed to help the islands adapt to ongoing changing climate conditions.
European Regional Development Fund
The project has received up to £1.97M of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding
