Flood scheme

Update on Looe Flood Defence and Regeneration Scheme

An alternative proposal for protecting Looe from flooding put forward by the Save the Banjo Pier group will not be taken forward to the next stage of the Looe Flood Defence and Regeneration scheme following a three-month investigation which found that the scheme did not meet the required viability tests and struggled to meet safety requirements.

The Looe Flood Defence and Regeneration scheme is being led by Cornwall Council. The Council is 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.

While the key aim of the Flood Defence scheme is to protect Looe from frequent and severe flooding for the next 50 to 100 years, the scheme also needs to demonstrate how the preferred option will promote economic growth. Making the economic regeneration case will be vital to securing the funding needed to deliver the scheme.

Seven potential options for delivering the aims of the Flood Defence and Regeneration scheme were presented at the public engagement events in June and July 2023. The top two options selected by the community were the Tidal Barrier with Breakwaters and the Tidal Barrier only option. Immediately prior to the engagement events, however, a petition opposing these options and putting forward an alternative option was created by the Save Banjo Pier (SBP) group.

Aimed primarily at protecting Banjo Pier, the proposed SBP scheme involves constructing a smaller breakwater at the mouth of the river and a low-level flood wall throughout both sides of the town. The walls stop around Looe Bridge. The option includes a West Looe pathway extension to the new breakwater and Hannafore, which is a popular feature of the Tidal barrier and Breakwaters option.

As each of the other options had already been assessed against a range of technical, economic and environmental criteria, it was agreed that the Save Banjo Pier proposal needed to be assessed using the same criteria to see if it was safe and viable before a more detailed assessment was carried out.

Over the past three months a number of meetings and workshop sessions were held with the SBP group and other stakeholders to look at the proposals in more detail. This work included investigating issues relating to safety, including berthing of vessels, breakwater functions, available harbour and safe refuges, accessibility at different states of the tide and wave climate. The safety assessment identified a number of issues relating to the design of the SBP proposal.

Taking into account the costs of the group’s revised wall alignment and the costs of strengthening Banjo Pier, the estimated outline costs of constructing the SBP option is £164m. Looe will be competing for funding with other flood prevention projects up and down the country. To secure funding the business case will need to demonstrate how the scheme will protect key transport links, including main roads in and out of the town and rail services, as well as how it will protect and enhance the visitor and marine economy. Detailed work was carried out on the potential for the option to deliver growth for the town. This was shared with the SBP group who were invited to come up with additional means of economic regeneration in order to be able to afford the cost.

Although the smaller southern breakwater would provide some additional berthing for day trip and glass bottomed boats, the lack of depth at all states of the tide would create significant difficulties for both deeper drafted vessels and ferries, meaning that a scheduled ferry service would not be able to operate. This will have an impact on the projected number of visitors, and on visitor spend, in the town. Comparing the costs of the SBP scheme with the economic benefit results in a Benefit to Cost Ratio of 0.98. As this this is below 1, this means that the SBP option fails to pass the economic viability test.

For more information and copies of documents, please visit letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/looe-flood-defence

The Outline Business Case aimed at securing the funding needed to deliver the scheme is currently due to be submitted to the Government in the Spring.