Concrete blocks buried under Beach Green in South Lancing .... updated

The issue of the concrete blocks at Beach Green in South Lancing has been "rumbling along" throughout the 2005. A quick resume, World War 2 defences (the concrete blocks) may have become dangerous to the visitors to the area and/or the environment. I believe (and please correct me if I am wrong!) that Lancing Parish Council initially decided that removal of the concrete blocks was the appropriate action to take.

This led to protests from locals and visitors to the area about the damage/cost/upset that it would cause. At some stage a protest group was formed to stop the council from removing the blocks.

Above.  1946 photo of the blocks reproduced with permission from Len Quallington

Local M.P. Tim Loughton contacted the website with the following in April 2005

"Following the April 1^st meeting the Council offered to retain experts to advise on all the options to deal with the problems of the blocks buried under Beach Green. For health and safety and insurance purposes the Council is obliged to take remedial action and doing nothing is not an option. This may mean returning to the original proposal of digging the blocks up, crushing them for hardcore and refilling the holes with spoil soil, topsoil and seeding. Several contractors have offered to do this for free but obviously there are concerns about disruption. They will also look at the option of top soiling and seeding though this would involve a not inconsiderable cost and would not be a real long term solution. The Environment Agency would also place limits on the land raise involved due to flooding considerations. Or the final solution may be a mix and match of the 2 or a further solution not yet considered.

To help their deliberations Lancing PC have employed Dave Porter, a retired engineer who used to work for Adur. He is advising on the technical spec to be issued to possible contractors, arranging for a geo-phys survey of the site, looking at historical records etc. He is due to produce a report for LPC in September and the Council will then decide what action they think is most appropriate. In any case it is unlikely that the work will be carried out this year and as far as the protesters are concerned anyway, the later the better.

As arranged at the April 1^st meeting a Liaison Group consisting of 2 councilors and 2 nominated members of the Action Group was formed to keep residents abreast of developments and act as a sounding board for their views. The group last met last week and I gather no objections to the way things are progressing were flagged up.

As the research involves a number of discussions of commercial sensitivity it is likely that LPC will wait until Dave Porter’s report has been completed and presented in September before producing a full briefing on the state of affairs to all the parish residents and if it necessary to hold further public meetings etc at that stage then I have offered my services again."

Again in September 2005, Tim contact to say

"An update on the Beach Green situation. I went to the recent meeting of LPC and they are negotiating with a firm called Stratoscan to undertake a thorough geo-physical survey of Beach Green to see exactly the extent, depth, range, composition of the blocks etc. Stratoscan is the firm which does the geo-phys for Time Team on Channel 4 and comes highly recommended. This will obviously delay the report which Dave Porter will be producing for the Council with various options to be considered depending on what they find. I have also suggested that Stratoscan might like to lay on an open morning and invite local schoolchildren along to see what they are up to and enable them to look at the history under their feet literally. All these details have been discussed at LPC and with members of the special liaison group that has been set up."

Above. A concrete block was excavated

In March 2006, like many others, I received a flyer through my door from the Lancing Beach Action Group. I contacted the group and have their permission to scan the flyer and place it on the website. The scanned image is to the right. It has not scanned to brilliantly (sorry), the text says:

"As a former construction worker, site agent and, for the last eighteen years of my working life, senior construction manager on major works, I am qualified/experienced enough to know and understand something about concrete and its many characteristics.

Let's think about what's happening to Lancing Beach Green. First of all, the Green is left in trust to Lancing Parish Council to look after for the use of Lancing and Sompting residents and its visitors.

The Green is well used by visitors and the residents; it's also used by circuses, fairs and markets, bringing in £22,000 a year in income, out of which no money has been put in reserve to carry out remedial works to the Green.

On Thursday 23rd February 2006, Lancing Herald produced a picture of one of the concrete blocks for local people to inspect. In the write-up adjacent to the picture, Lancing Parish Council gave some very misleading information to the effect that the blocks are breaking up and becoming exposed, exposed yes, but not breaking up.

Above. Len's flyer reproduced with permission, click the image to enlarge

Concrete formed in blocks as they are, or foundations, piles, etc. take hundreds of years before any sign of deterioration takes place and that's only if water at high pressure is passing by; so these concrete blocks will, at least, be safe for five hundred years plus if not disturbed.

What's happening to Beach Green is quite simple; under the blocks is beach made up from sands, gravel etc. Heavy rain and flooding which has happened over the years has founds its way to the base, making some areas soft and some areas not. This causes the blocks to subside in some cases. Also heavy vehicles and fairground amusements help to push the blocks down until they settle.

If the blocks are removed, as has been proposed by Lancing Parish Council, the Green will become a massive hole backfilled with any rubbish contractors find to fill it with.

The Green will become unusable for years. The environment is changing , sea rising, causing many problems elsewhere: how long before here?

The Beach Green Action Group has continually suggested covering the Green over with 150mm to 200mm of good quality earth, where needed, and reseeding.

This could be done in stages over three years and fairs and circuses, markets etc. could still use it and bring in revenue to pay for it. The Environment Agency would agree to this arrangement, so come on Lancing and Sompting residents back the Beach Green Action Group and voice your opinion either to your Parish representative, the next Lancing Parish Council full meeting, the Press or our next public meeting."