Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of providing coastal armour to protect the cliffs at Pakefield, Lowestoft in the context of the recent tidal surges.

The Government announced in March 2020 a record £5.2 billion investment over six years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England. East Suffolk Council is the responsible risk management authority for the coast at Pakefield and has been working on erosion management issues in the area. The Environment Agency administers Government Flood Defence Grant in Aid funding to all risk management authorities. To apply for funding the authority needs to submit a business case to the Environment Agency outlining the various technical aspects of the project including economic, environmental and technical feasibility appraisals. To date, no business case has been submitted to the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is aware that Coastal Partnership East, on behalf of East Suffolk Council, has been working with the community in Pakefield since 2016 to explore the coastal management options, including into the longer term, for the whole frontage.