James Duddridge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Duddridge on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that East Beach in Shoeburyness is surveyed for any unexploded ordnance and that remedial works are carried out as a matter of urgency.

Anna Soubry

East Beach is managed by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council under a licence agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The decision to close the beach was made by the Council and it will be for them to determine when to re-open it. As such, no estimates have been made by the MOD about the economic effect of the Council’s decision to the local economy.

A MOD survey of East Beach will assist in the formulation of a risk management plan that will focus mitigation work on those areas of the beach at greatest risk. It is too early to say what mitigation work will be required, when it will be carried out, and how long it will take to complete.