Environmental activist and former Lewes District Councilor Bob Brown has raised concerns about the island, saying high tide on Tuesday morning (22 November) nearly flooded the area which includes leisure facilities and a nursery for children.
Mr Brown said: “As early as October 2000, while working in Beddingham, I witnessed the terrible floods which affected communities along the River Ouse.
“I was concerned to find that although flood walls have since been constructed at Newhaven and upstream at Lewes, nothing appears to have been put in place to protect Denton Island.
“A lot of people work there and there is also a training area, leisure facilities and a nursery for children. The day after the 2000 floods I took two pictures at the next high tide that show how close Denton Island was to being flooded.
Sussex has recently been hit by a number of floods, following numerous amber weather warnings for rain from the Met Office last month.
Mr Brown believes less grassland in the county due to development means there is reduced capacity to cope with this increased rainfall.
The former councilor called on local authorities to protect the island, which contains a large amount of sensitive electrical equipment.
Mr Brown said: “We’ve all been told the Lewes floods were a ‘once in a century’ event. Recent weather trends suggest this may well be optimistic, and due to the growing trend of paving grasslands which would once have acted as a sponge for heavy rains, there is less capacity for open land to absorb the type of deluge we have recently experienced
“There is a lot of sensitive electrical equipment used on Denton Island for training and business – it needs to be properly protected. What are the Environment Agency, Southern Water and local councils doing to protect this area? And does it really make sense for Lewes District Council to consider moving its offices nearby to a quayside which could in future become isolated in the event of flooding from the sea?
