Letters: As flood risk rises, should we still be building by the sea?

SIR - The Environment Agency recently warned that over the next 30 years the flood risk to coastal towns is likely to be worse than previously thought and that Britain needs to seriously improve its sea defences to cope with rising tides and freak weather.

Yet here in Lymington there are plans to build new homes on sites south of the town and close to the coast.

The proposed site to the east of Lower Pennington Lane (SS6) is already near an existing flood risk area at its southern end, and in the next 30 years the threat from flooding is likely to increase, not decrease.

Houses built now will last for over 50 years, until 2070 and beyond, and so will be all affected by these long term climate changes.

As sea wall defences are moved inland, the buffer zone between the new housing and the coast will be reduced, which is a real threat in Lymington.

Developers may claim that the sites meet current standards for flood risk, drainage capability and water table level, but in the light of the new Environment Agency warnings there must be doubt if they will continue to do so in 30 years time.

Isn’t it time we future-proofed our new housing plans and stopped building close to the coast?

Michael Payne, Lymington