SHOEBURY residents are no nearer to finding out what flood protection they will be given almost five months after the end of public consultation.

The community was invited to have its say on a proposed scheme to protect the Shoebury Common area from tidal flooding and coastal erosion during a consultation that ended in February.

However, Southend Council is no nearer to publishing its findings.

The four shortlisted proposals were maintaining existing defences with patchwork repairs over the next thirty years, strengthening the base of the seawall with rocks, burying “geotextile” bags beneath the sand to raise the beach height and replacing ageing wooden groynes and recharging the beach with more sand.

Controversial plans for a £35million, 7ft high wall to be built across Shoebury Common have not been resurrected but the Friends of Shoebury Common believe part of the seawall could be raised to protect a low area opposite Maplin Way.

This could see the wall raised by 5-6ft along a 50-yard stretch and recharging the beach with new sand, but the council is yet to confirm this.

Peter Grubb, from the Friends of Shoebury Common which fought the original proposal, said: “My information is they went in favour of recharging the beach with additional groynes to stem the flow of shoreline drift which means sand in Leigh moves to Foulness.

“I think it all depends on calculations, but the existing seawall could be raised with the section at the bottom of Maplin Way raised to the gutter height of the beach huts there.

“Most people are happy with this.”

Mr Grubb, owner of Uncle Tom’s café, added: “It’s disappointing the consultation hasn’t yet been made public.

“People are angry and have lost patience with it all.”

Harry Chandler, chairman of Shoeburyness Residents’ Association, said: “I have no idea why it has taken so long but we would like to see it dealt with.

“It’s very late and obviously we are concerned about what’s going on.

“The problems is the administration has changed and we have new incumbents so there could be more delays.”

Southend Council was approached to comment on the plans for sea defences and the delay in publishing the results of the consultation but did not provide any comments or information before the Echo went to press.