Monday 25 May EA's response to claims of a delay.
There have been several claims in the local press of delays in the work to implement flood defences on the brook. The Flood Committee requested confirmation of these delays from the council and the Environment Agency as we had not been made aware of any problems or delays with the work.
The EA released a statement to the media but it appears this statement was selectively reproduced, the exact wording was as follows.
Since the successful bid for funding for a flood scheme for Horsbere Brook we have been progressing a challenging delivery programme as we would like to see the community benefit from a flood scheme as soon as possible. If landowner approval, the planning process, legislative requirement for Environmental Impact Assessment, and the risks of construction during the winter period allow we will begin on site in the Autumn. However, it is possible that these external processes take a little longer than programmed, in which case we would expect to begin on site in the Spring of 2010. We are currently writing the first newsletter, which should be out next week or the week after. We will be keeping people informed through newsletters and our website.
The EA are still working hard to start the scheme this Autumn, and this has not changed since the public meetings.