Council may allocate £2.7m from savings for Benacre flood protection to safeguard A12 road. Project costs increased.
Paul West will ask the council about using up to £2.7 million from the council’s savings. It’s for the Benacre flood project, and they will talk about it at the council meeting. The project includes new pumping stations, drains, and embankments between the A12 road and the sea.
The plan is to create mud flats and salt marsh areas covering 82 hectares. They already said yes to £2 million to help protect the A12 from flooding and guard against floods for 50 years. The current system is old and expected to break soon.
The government is giving £32.1 million, and Sizewell C is giving £25 million. But the project costs went up by £5 million, so they need another £2.7 million.
Paul West is in charge of highways and flooding. The council hopes to find other money later, while the IDB is building and promoting it. The Environment Agency will help maintain it, and landowners are also involved.
The council must approve this money, and then the IDB can start building next month. The project should finish by March 2029. If they do nothing, it could cost £235 million, putting the A12, many properties, and farmland at risk.