The Environment Agency (EA) has issued a statement to clarify the current ongoing uncertainty surrounding the stalled £4 million Arundel flood defence scheme in West Sussex and problems with obtaining additional funding.

The Agency developed the phase 1 scheme to improve flood defences in areas of Arundel at highest risk. The scheme had been accelerated to reduce the risk of flooding and erosion to properties in Arundel as quickly as possible.

Construction work on Phase 1 of the new flood defence at River Road and Tarrant Wharf and work to strengthen the river wall along Fitzalan Road in Arundel started in November 2019.

Work started to date has included floating a huge jack-up barge into position prior to the installation of a new flood defence wall, made of steel sheet piles. 

However, work on the scheme has been halted following the identification of the risk of poor ground conditions.

In December 2019, the Agency's contractors encountered difficult ground conditions when installing the steel sheet piles along River Road. Piling works were paused whilst further ground investigations in the river bed were carried out. The results of the additional ground investigations showed that the ground underneath the river bed is unsuitably soft for the contractors to continue with the current piling works along River Road.

Since then the EA has been working to identify appropriate and affordable alternative options to improve the defence at River Road. Whilst work on potential options is completed, construction at this location will continue to be paused. The jack-up barge and pontoon are being removed from the river for the time being due to the high cost of the equipment.

EA opted not to drill boreholes in river bed on grounds of cost

Prior to the start of the piling in the river, the Environment Agency drilled deep boreholes in the land in multiple locations which at the time provided a good level of assurance to start piling.

However, it opted not to drill boreholes in the river bed in order to obtain further assurance of the river bed structure on the basis that this would have cost significantly more due to the need to have the floating jack-up barge in place to accommodate the borehole rig. “This significant cost would have detracted from the funds available to do the works,” the Agency said.

Environment Agency acknowledges distress due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding Arundel flood defence works

In as statement commenting on the current status of the work, the EA said:

“The Environment Agency acknowledges the distress felt by many of you as a result of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Arundel flood defence works. Some of you have asked for more detail on the processes involved and, while it is recognised that they are complex, it is hoped that the information below provides more detail and clarification on the current situation.”

The Environment Agency has been given to understand that queries have been raised regarding the procurement process to appoint a contractor for this scheme. Team Van Oord (TVO) - which is a joint venture, including Mackleys - was appointed onto the Environment Agency’s Water and Environment Management (WEM) Framework.

The contractors were were 1 of 6 Contractors on that lot of the framework. TVO was also successful in a further competitive commercial exercise to demonstrate value for money in establishing the Programme Delivery Units in the area in which the Arundel Tidal Defences Scheme Phase 1 sits.

The Agency has pointed out that as a result of the procurement process, it is contractually bound to the 6 contractors within the WEM Framework. This means that the Environment Agency is unable to appoint any other contractors for works with a significant financial value (above £5,000) outside of any of the existing framework arrangements.

Approval sought for additional funding to progress the scheme

At the end of January, the Agency announced that a request for approval to spend additional money to progress the construction of an updated preferred option at River Road had been sought and submitted to the EA's Executive Director of Operations and National Project Assurance Board (NPAB). NPAB is in place to ensure the taxpayer gets the most out of the money invested in projects, and to make sure that Treasury guidelines on the assessment of construction projects are followed correctly.

Following the review by the Board, a recommendation for approval or refusal will be made to the Environment Agency’s Executive Director of Operations. Depending on the outcome of the review, additional approvals or decisions may be required.

The Agency said:

“While the Environment Agency is aware of the importance of a timely decision and the impact that ongoing uncertainty has on you and the community, it is important all the appropriate steps are taken in the use of public money. It is anticipated that it will take a further 2 to 3 weeks for this process to be complete, at which time the project team will be advised if and/or how to proceed.”

“In parallel to the above process, Environment Agency designers and contractors are working hard on producing the finalised designs for the preferred option and construction methodology, which could be taken forward if additional funding is granted. This work is not yet complete and is still subject to change before it is finalised due to a number of factors including engineering, environmental, and financial.”

“Details of the final designs will be shared when they are known. The Environment Agency’s ability to proceed with any revised design is dependent on approval for additional spend being granted.”

EA warns of possibility that request for additional funds may not be successful

While the designs are being finalised for the preferred option, the Environment Agency will, in addition, continue to consult with all suppliers available through the various frameworks as it seeks to identify the best course of action to address the flood defences at River Road.

The Agency said that works at the River Road sited remain paused until the outcome of the request for additional funding is known, pointing out that the processes involved in the request take time but it is being treated urgently.

The EA now has a preferred alternative, technically viable option to better protect the most vulnerable river wall sections in the original design at River Road. However, this would still require additional funding in order for it to be considered moving forward. The project team has escalated a request for additional funding and awaits the outcome of the decision. However, the Agency is warning that there is a possibility that the request for additional funds may not be successful.

The phase 1 scheme was developed to improve flood defences in areas of Arundel at highest risk. The scheme had been accelerated to reduce the risk of flooding and erosion to properties in Arundel as quickly as possible. The EA were anticipating that the scheme would better protect around 130 properties from flooding and up to 30 properties against river erosion on both river banks.