Infrastructure Minister Jason Moorhouse has agreed to meet Alfred Cannan in Kirk Michael to hear more about coastal erosion concerns.
Ayre and Michael MHK Cannan issued the invitation in the House of Keys yesterday (November 3), after raising the issue. He wanted to know what steps were being taken to protect Kirk Michael.
He urged Moorhouse to take the matter seriously, raising concern that not enough measures were in place.
Moorhouse said: “The coastline at Kirk Michael continues to be monitored through twice-yearly surveys, undertaken in April and October, with the current programme continuing to 2028.”
He said the department would consider evidence collated before making a final decision on what action to take.
“Schemes are being considered,” he said.
“But the cost of them and the impact on the rest of the coastline must also be considered at all times. Money is limited.”
Calm Consideration
He added: “Everything must be done in a very calm and thoughtful manner.”
Moorhouse said the issues assessed include potential damage to property, “people-related damages such as the impact on health and wellbeing”, agriculture, roads, utilities, tourism and amenities.
“This cannot be considered in isolation. Any intervention at Kirk Michael is going to have an impact on the wider coastline.
“It is a complex coastal system and intervention in one location may have implications elsewhere.”
Do Nothing Strategy
But Cannan countered that the constant requirement for evidence was “developing into a do-nothing strategy from the department”.
“What I just heard from the minister was a full-scale civil service response about we are doing something but actually we are not really doing anything,” he said.
“I know he is new in his job so I am going to be kind, I am going to ask him to commit to visiting Kirk Michael with me, bring his team with him so that I can actually show him the extent of the erosion and the actual problem that is being placed.
“Will he commit to visiting Kirk Michael in the next four weeks?”
Moorhouse accepted the invitation but challenged Cannan’s claim that the strategy was one of inaction and said the DOI was taking it seriously.
“It is a worry,” he agreed. “It is a concern.
“But we promise to do lots of work on it and I look forward to our visit to go and see this area.”
The Cost
Moorhouse told the House of Keys: “The current economic appraisal indicates estimated damages of between £2.4 million and £4.4 million over the 100-year appraisal period, with a best estimate of £3.6M.
“The economic assessment looked at the future damages in a do-nothing scenario, considering an appraisal period of 100 years and different combinations of climate change scenarios and safety buffers.”
He added: “Most damages are associated with residential properties, with the majority being affected after ‘Year 40’.
“In total there are 69 residential properties and three non- residential at risk using the baseline scenario.”
In terms of possible actions, he said: “A rock armour scheme is estimated to cost between £8.2m and £22.3m, depending on the type of
solution adopted, the expected lifetime of the structure and the design standard of protection.
“On the evidence presently available an economic case for constructing such a defence scheme has not been demonstrated.”
Homes are at Stake
Cannan again emphasised the urgency of the matter.
“Whilst the minister has been jousting with me this morning, it is a very important issue,” he said.
“Homes are at stake. Property values are at stake. People’s mental health is at stake. There is a serious issue going on in Kirk Michael.”
You can hear the full conversation here: