January 21 2013.

Mail from Jim Skinner:

Despite regular meetings between Seaford Town Council, the Seaford Seafront Theme Group and Environment Agency local management over the last couple of years, it is sadly the case that we are still no further forward in gaining back our safe, true amenity beach we had up to the mid 1980s. Even requests for a short section of safe beach continue to be ignored.

Some limited progress has been achieved, such as formal recognition by the EA that Seaford Beach has an amenity value to the town, in addition to its primary role as a flood defence. The EA has also undertaken to build a more gently shelving beach, but to date this has still not been provided to any obvious and meaningful extent.

Due to continued compaction, erosion and loss of shingle, the beach should now be considered dangerous at or around high tide in particular. For this primary reason, in exasperation at lack of acceptance by the EA that there is anything wrong with the beach, our MP, Mr Norman Baker, has now written to the appropriate government minister seeking to raise the issue at the highest level. To date no response has been received.

This continues to be a long, hard slog, but for sure, without the petition to be found in the Old Plough in Church Street, (now signed by over 2500 local people and visitors), it is extremely unlikely we would have got this far.

In order to keep up the momentum on this extremely important issue, to ensure restoration of Seaford beach as the true all year round amenity for all that it once was, and as befits this fantastic town, it is very important we keep up the pressure by writing to the press, the local town council and not least, signing the petition.

Thank you to all who have already signed. Please encourage as many of your friends to also do so. The more we are, the more difficult it will be for us to be ignored.

Thank you again.

Jim Skinner

Contact Jim at: brian.skinner2@btinternet.com