Work to raise three miles of the River Rother’s eastern bank has largely been completed — protecting Rye against tidal flooding — although an extra project to reinforce a small section of the bank against erosion will still be required.
The Environment Agency’s project sponsor Ian Nunn said the erosion, or scouring, issue affects a small section of riverbank just south of the Monk Bretton Bridge in Rye. Bank erosion by the river at this spot had worsened, which demanded the EA come up with a revised technical solution. Owing to planning and environmental demands, this project will be completed by the end of summer 2026.
While the new anti-scour design is yet to be finalised, it’s likely to include toe-piling driven deeply along the river bed, behind which there’ll be a stonework revetement or ‘gabion’ (wire mesh) enclosures containing stones. The EA says it’s important to retain the current river bend that supports Rye’s sea-fishing berths and associated infrastructure.
While the original cost of the Rother Tidal Walls East (RTWE) project was put at £36m, the additional finance for the scour-protection work remains to be calculated.
Embankment-raising work will be fully finalised by the end of October 2025 — raising the tidal walls by 50cm to 5.8m and doubling their width to 15m. After this, minor works such as fencing and grass-seeding of the banks will be carried out.
While the EA’s Mr Nunn expressed confidence that Rye is now fully protected against tidal flooding, he pointed out that flood protection work is an ongoing process and that the river banks will need to be further raised in future as sea level rises.
Martello Developments has plans to build 47 new homes on the site of the old Freda Gardham school, behind the new flood defences, which include an 80m-wide ‘erosion set-back’ in Camberfield south of Monk Bretton Bridge, where four hectares of land will revert to saltmarsh.
Work is continuing at the Union Channel pumping station, where an old wall has been replaced and the pump itself will either be replaced or refurbished. Separate repairs — not part of the RTWE contract — have also been carried out at Brede sluice and the structure’s stability examined. The fluvial sluice gates have been removed for refurbishment while the tidal gates remain in place.
Image Credits: David Worwood .
Thank you for that very interesting and informative update.