Some clarification on ‘unfair’ Sovereign Harbour sea defences

From: Susan KerrisonChair, Sovereign Harbour Residents Association
Soverign Harbour in Eastbourne SUS-201020-152649001Soverign Harbour in Eastbourne SUS-201020-152649001
Soverign Harbour in Eastbourne SUS-201020-152649001

We write to clarify several issues in Mr Forbes’ letter published at the end of October about the Sovereign Harbour “rent charge” click here to read.

The “rent charge” is a legally binding arrangement where homeowners contribute to Premier Marinas for the maintenance of the harbour and to the Environment Agency for sea defences.

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The monies are collected by Sovereign Harbour (Sea Defences) Community Interest Company which has no role other than rent collection. Monies from the charge are apportioned to the beneficiaries – the Environment Agency and Premier Marinas through a legal formula.

The purchaser’s solicitor, not the estate agent, has the primary responsibility to inform the potential buyer of these charges.

In 2020 a charge of around £260 was collected from around 3,400 plus homeowners or around £884,000 in total. Given the opaque way the accounts are presented it is not possible to be precise but a rough estimate would suggest that 26 per cent of the monies collected went the Environment Agency, 21 per cent for administration and 53 per cent to Premier Marinas.

The levy paid to the Environment Agency for the sea defences goes towards a contract with Pevensey Coastal Defences Ltd (PCDL) for the maintenance sea defence along a 9km stretch of coastline from Sovereign Harbour to Cooden Beach.

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In 2010/11, the EA indicated that the total cost of the contract was £2.24 m which would be equivalent of £2.75m today. Clearly the monies paid to the Environment Agency through the rent charge roughly £230,000 only represents a small part to the contract for sea defences and the majority of the cost is funded through general taxation.

Over the years, Sovereign Harbour Residents Association had made demands on both the Environment Agency and the CIC but because the arrangements are set in legal concrete, they are difficult to change.

The SHRA continues to press the CIC, Premier and Environment Agency to present the charge in a more transparent way, so harbour homeowners are clear the extent to which each organisation benefits from the charge.

The contract with PCDL will come up for renewal in 2025 and the Environment Agency have indicated that a new plan for the coastal defences from Beachy Head and along the whole of Pevensey Bay is being developed. Work on public engagement in this plan is due to begin in 2021.

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As the Environment Agency has also indicated that Sovereign Harbour homeowners can expect to pay a contribution to sea defences in perpetuity, the SHRA is arguing that the residents should have seat at the table in those discussions.

We hope that this letter has clarified matters.