Lights on Bradwell!

John Betjeman on Southend pier Feburary 1980

'I attended one day of the inquiry held last week by the Ministry of Fuel and Power at Maldon, in Essex, about the atomic power station the Central Electricity Board has decided to erect on the Blackwater Estuary at Bradwell. It seems odd that the Minister should be the judge of the activities of one of his own departments, and that Ministries like Agriculture and Fisheries and Housing and Local Government should not be the judges. At this inquiry I should have thought either of them would have been entitled to that position. But that is something to do with law and I realise my ignorance of it when I attend an inquiry like this. The skill of the lawyers is amazing, particularly the way they lead a witness into a trap and pounce. The Central Electricity Board, of course, has its professional witnesses, but for us members of the public the ordeal is terrifying.

You must imagine the crowded hall beside the Congregational Church in Maldon, the amiable inspector and his two assistants on the platform. Below him on his right, the men from the Central Electricity Board; there seemed to be about twenty-five of them in dark, neat suits, hard collars and horn-rimmed spectacles, with files and papers (first-class fares and time paid). They reminded me of men from 1984, or the novel by C. S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength. On the other side were we, the mad-eyed preservationists, the shrewd farmers and representatives of the fishing and oyster interests, all giving up time and money voluntarily to save the Dengie Peninsula. I hope this does not sound smug, but it is the truth, and it is worth noting that counsel appearing on behalf of objectors to Government schemes generally do so free or for very low fees. Between us sat the Essex country people, some thinking the atomic station would bring them riches, others wanting to continue the way of life their fathers lived before them.'

- John Betjeman c.1958

THE NEXT EDITION OF MANAGED RETREAT WILL BE....

LIGHTS ON BRADWELL!

Maplin Sands Airport

Model of the proposed Maplin Sands Airport development on show to the press in the 1970s.

An article in The Guardian, 'King's Cross airport? The outlandish plans for London that almost got built' includes this photograph of a model of the once proposed Maplin Sands airport development, planned for the island of Foulness and the tidal sandbanks in the Essex Archipelago.

Read more about that with some fascinating (but frustratingly small) illustrations here.

Friends of the Earth joined protests against the airport with their Maplin Manifesto.

This sinking isle

The Guardian looks at some of those who refuse to accept the inward march of the sea and remain in precarious coastal properties: 'This sinking isle: the homeowners battling coastal erosion'.

'For fear of looking weak, few politicians dare admit the limitations of coastal defences in a century of rising seas. After the winter storms of 2013, Neil Parish, a Tory backbencher, cried out in parliament: “We have got to force the sea back and keep it out, not retreat from it like we have been for years.” This is natural territory for Ukip, whose heartlands – and winnable seats in the 2015 election – lie along England’s vulnerable east coast. Michael Baker, Ukip’s candidate for North Norfolk at the general election, insists: “Defence is the first duty of government. It is not only necessary to protect our country from invading human forces, but also from invasion by the sea and rivers.” '

Catastrophic Sea Level Rise

'The year is now 2015 and the human population is still shooting skyward as if there is some sort of bright techno-utopian future on the horizon, the high priests of capitalism are still praising endless growth, fossil fuels are still the predominant energy source on the planet, and the masses still can’t get enough of celebrity gossip. No need to worry about the future. I’m sure if there’s a buck to be made by holding back the rising tides, we can count on some capitalist lurking in the shadows to fix the problem. Sea walls will do the trick, right? Humans are looking more and more like ants on a floating turd: “When the log turns over we will all be dead…” '

from the Collapse of Industrial Civilization blog 'Catastrophic Sea Level Rise within Three Generations' 7th April 2015.

Tillingham Marshes

The marginal lands of Essex: Doctor Who on Tillingham Marshes in 'Carnival of Monsters'.

London Bay

The Seattle mapmaker and urban planner Jeffrey Linn creates maps of the future, redrawing coastlines based on the raised sea levels that melting ice sheets would produce. Above is his depiction of London if 2/3rds of the ice sheets melted.

Below is Great Britain at various depths. Similar to the Greenhouse Britain work of Harrison& Harrison.

Linn's beautiful maps depict locations all over the world and are available to buy as posters .

Fire & Water

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Illustration by Rob Pybus for a New York Times editorial:

'For this piece I had to depict the struggle going on in NY the moment concerning sea defenses on Fire Island. For the most part its seen as a waste of money and a danger to the environment.'