Lewes MP and Lib Dem Environment Secretary Norman Baker has revealed that the amount spent by the Environment Agency on its controversial plans for flood prevention in the Cuckmere Valley has now broken the £200,000 barrier. The Environment Agency's proposals to re-flood parts of the valley would profoundly alter the unique and much-loved character of the area. Their expenditure to date on the project, uncovered by Norman in a parliamentary answer he received from Defra Minister, Elliot Morley, comes ahead of any concrete proposal being put forward, and whilst anxious residents still await a decision on whether they will be granted a full public inquiry.
Commenting on this, Norman says:
"I am concerned to learn of the amount that the Environment Agency has spent already on this project, ahead of any decision being made on exactly how they would implement their proposals.
"Moreover, I am even more concerned that the Environment Agency has been allowed to go ahead and spend this money even though the public inquiry this proposal should require has not been agreed to by the Environment Agency. A planning application is welcome, but this is not a substitute for a public inquiry.
"I also cannot help thinking that the considerable sum of money that the Environment Agency has already spent on surveying the valley and paying consultants could have been better allocated. While we are awaiting desperately needed funds to improve flood prevention measures in towns such as Lewes, the Environment Agency is running up a bill on a controversial project that has not yet even been approved."
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