This site uses cookies

General Discussion

Okay - so what's more important - birds or people?

211
8
Lynne
Lynne
07 Feb 2014 15:19

Have a read of this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10623109/UK-floods-Environment-Agency-accused-of-putting-birds-before-humans.html

Mcjrpc
Mcjrpc
07 Feb 2014 16:38

I interpret that as looking to land a few easy punches on the Environment Agency because it's already on the ropes.  The report says it happened before the storms and before it was an emergency.  We all know wildlife surveys are part of the decision making process - as they should be (see the other post about Meadow Park).    It'd be different if they were holding it up now. 

1 Agree
OLD FART
OLD FART
07 Feb 2014 18:54

Birds.

2 Agrees
ken
ken
07 Feb 2014 20:48

Surely this all goes to show that the Enviroment Agency has got its priorities in a mixed state, it has been clear to me that the major problem along the railway line is that the beach has been eroded over the years leaving the line unprotected. Look back to some of the old drawings of when the line was first built, the beach was much higher and looking at old photos there were proper groynes and breakwaters along the coast.

To me it is a waste of me simply putting the wall back as it was.  

 
neilh
neilh
07 Feb 2014 20:56

Before the railway was built there was a "natural" beach which varied day-to-day with the tides but essentially retained its general body and shape.  When Brunel built the wall it acted as a reflector of the sea's force resulting in a scouring back action that over time removed the natural banks of sand.  Groynes were installed I believe to alleviate that destructive action but, as you say, were not properly maintained over time.  Brunel had his problems with the wall as well though - this was posted today on Teignmouth Oracle:

 

seawall catastrophe brunel

Judith Chalmers
Judith Chalmers
07 Feb 2014 20:59

Ken, the Environment Agency has nothing to do with the maintenance of the sea wall.

Inside the last two months, self-proclaimed experts on here were saying that the groynes should be rebuilt whilst the sand is gone and the tides are low!! It's a good job that the real experts took no notice of them! I'd imagine that otherwise the Dawlish angry brigade (all 4 of them) would have been shouting about the waste of money!!!!!!!

2 Agrees
ken
ken
07 Feb 2014 23:08

Read the Telegraph report above and in case you say its the papers read Hansard reporting from parliament, and look at the historic low and high tide lines hat show how high the beach used to be.

Judith Chalmers
Judith Chalmers
08 Feb 2014 14:35

I've read it Ken. It's an excuse for the Tories to try to divert attention from their slashing of the EA budget by £75 million each and every year.  Factually, the wildlife survey is for the Warren element of the wider project. Any building work would not have started yet anyway - wildlife survey or not!

Comment Please sign in or sign up to post