The latest work on the River Rother by Monk Bretton Bridge in Rye could cost £3.2 million according to a Freedom of Information Request (FOI) seen by Rye News. Work began earlier this year as an extension to the multi-million pound Rother Tidal Walls East contract which has seen new flood defences constructed.
In the FOI the Environment Agency says the extra cost is for scour protection, where erosion affects a small section of the riverbank south of the bridge. The problem has been long identified but was made worse after part of the bank collapsed in 2023.
The final cost of the new work has yet to be confirmed.
A 60 metre 400 tonne crane has been in place since earlier this year, dominating the Rye skyline. Fifty metres of steel sheet piles have been driven into the ground to allow large rocks to be placed behind to help strengthen the riverbank.
Nearby, the footpaths next to the river north of the bridge remain closed. There had been hopes they would reopen in October this year, but a review has yet to take place to confirm public access.
In the FOI the Environment Agency says, “The footpath closure was extended until October 2026 to allow for maintenance and the continued establishment of vegetation. It was always anticipated that the footpaths would need to be closed for a two-year period while this takes place. However, we have carried out annual reviews to assess progress, with the aim of reopening the footpaths as soon as it is practically possible. Unfortunately, the site is not yet ready, but we plan to undertake another review and open the footpaths at the earliest feasible opportunity.”
Image Credits: James Stewart , Rye News .
For several months the Environmental Agency has allowed cows to walk on much of the footpath from Monk Bretton bridge to Scots Float but not humans. Vehicles also travel on the footpath. The EA does not respond to email enquiries about why this section of the footpath remains closed well past the agreed upon opening date. It’s clear the vegetation has been re-established but quite unclear why the EA is being seemingly unresponsive and uncooperative. We should not have to wait for the entire flood protection to be completed to use this section of the footpath.
As the farmer of the cows that would normally graze the land, I can tell you that cows are definitely not allowed on this area. We can’t even graze sheep on it. The odd cow has been defiant and jumped the fence.
The EA would sooner spend £000’s of tax payers money on mowing it by machine, than let us graze it for free !
Spending £3.2m on this tiny section is an obscene amount and just about sums up government spending on infrastructure projects.
I would reiterate the comments by Simon Wright. When the problem of the scour on the bank first occurred, this was not in 2023 but some 20 years plus before. An attempt was made using chestnut faggots to reinforce the bank back then.
This of course failed and it was suggested by some of us that the best option was to put in piles from the Monkbretton bridge around the bend to protect the bank. This option was dismissed as being too hard a realignment and so it was decided that as part of the new Tidal Wall raising (0.4m) that the new salt marsh would be created (now often a stagnant pool) that the river would be allowed to realign “naturally”. This always looked very risky as one of the main causes of the scouring is the silting up of the river south of Scots Float.
Desilting is not considered an option by Natural England or the EA.
The piling work could have been done by a far smaller machine if it had been put in when we suggested before the rest of the tidal wall work was completed. In fact the rest of the work was probably unnecessary and an increase in height of 0.4 m could have been done by using some imported clay and some of the silt that is in the river.
It would be interesting to know what the final cost of the project will be. When first proposed it was under £10 million and was to be completed by 2022. I believe it will now be over £40 million!
I should add that the farmers who have lost land and had significant disruption have not yet received full and fair compensation.
The footpaths will unlikely be reopened before some time in 2027 and may even be later. The issue is that the EA will not allow access to the land used in the contract until 2 years after it is completed and signed off. The contractors are responsible for all remedial work in that 2 year period.
The management of this project has been woeful and the costs allowed to run away.
Excellent picture of the current works . However it does show that the length of steel sheet piling which could be considered partially smooth may posssibly be too short, and increase the speed of the outgoing flow causing further erosion beyond the downstream end of the piling. Also the picture clearly shows the shoal of sediment/mud on the opposite bank whch restricts the width of the outgoing channel, and in combination with the alighment of the roadbridge to the river caused the erosion where the current work is being carried out. Previous Rye river enginers such as Midmer, Roberts and possibly Francis understood the river process and used a machine in a pontoon to dredge the shoal away and move it untested for pollution, to a suitable location using it for raising floodbanks, or filling holes for farmers who would accept it.
Now it would be posssible to dredge the shoal using modern floating dredging vessels designed for such purposes, and piped away. (The old method was discontinued because the shoal was apparently polluted from chemicals resulting from the old Rye chemical works). Dredgings now could be piped away to a safe place and any chemicals will oxidise naturally, as happened in the construction of the Rye fishmarket quay nearly twenty years ago. Time will tell the result of the works being carried out.