It would not be approved today

IMPROVING the flood defences protecting the people of the Humberston Fitties may not be seen as a "valuable investment" by central Government – meaning the council would have to foot the bill.

On day two of the landmark hearing North East Lincolnshire Councillors, officers and the Environment Agency met with members of the Fitties Owners Residents' Association Bungalows (Forab) at the site.

water sight: Jim Probert on Humberston Fitties, back in 2000.
The first day of the Humberston Fitties Select Committee Hearing took place at Cleethorpes Town Hall. Councillor John Fenty, right. Picture: Jon Corken Buy this photo at www.thisisphotosales.co.uk/grimsby or by contacting 08444 060910 Requested by: Faye Contact: Date: 23/10/2012 Postcode: Keywords:
hearing: The first day of the Humberston Fitties Select Committee Hearing, at Cleethorpes Town Hall.
on site: The Committee and members of FORAB discuss the flood defences during a site visit on the second day of the Humberston Fitties Select Committee Hearing.

As reported, EA bosses said they would never back the proposal because the Fitties is the most at risk area of flooding on the Lincolnshire coast – and if a planning application was made to build the park today, it would never be approved.

At the meeting, Agency coastal adviser Mark Robinson said: "With the greatest of respect to the Humberston Fitties, if you had to take the total value of the Fitties, they would have to question whether protecting it would be an effective way of spending tax payers' money."

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The main line of defence protecting the 320 chalets from a potential tidal surge is a sand dune which North East Lincolnshire Council spent £750,000 of Government funding to improve last year, but it is being eroded by waves crashing against it twice a day, every day.

They "narrowly scraped through" the funding criteria, which states that for every pound of tax payers' money spent on sea defence improvements, there had to be £8 saved in prevented damage that could have been caused by a flood.

The council could only apply for 100 per cent of this funding once and spent it all which means they must find the money for any future improvements elsewhere.

Mr Robinson added: "There is a shortfall that will have to be met by either the Humberston Fitties, the Council or tax payers in Grimsby and Cleethorpes and although we haven't done the sums yet, it would cost millions."