IN YOUR report on the council meeting to discuss Weymouth’s flood defence schemes (“Councillors agree future flood work”, October 15), Councillor James Farquharson was informed that sea levels are rising at 2 millimetres per year.

If this was the basis of the study then the conclusions on work and funding required will be very optimistic indeed!

Globally sea levels have been measured rising at 3.5mm per year.

A high precision tidal gauge installed in Weymouth Harbour since 1991 has been recording a rate of rise of 5mm per year.

The higher figure is because the South of England has been sinking and Scotland rising since the end of the last ice age; a geological process known as Post-Glacial Isostatic Rebound.

Because of the unremitting discharge of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere the rate of sea level rise is going to accelerate such that a sea level increase of about 1,200mm is expected by the end of this century – which is an average rise rate of 12mm per year.

In 2010, the Dorset Coast Forum published a report on flooding risks in Weymouth and their mitigation.

Dorset Coast Forum’s report concluded that, long before the end of the 21st century, the commercial heart of Weymouth will need to be moved.

Southill is a suggested location for the “New Weymouth”.

The Park District will probably no longer be habitable by the end of this century.

Specifically the Dorset Coast Forum report stated (page 48): “Is it a reasonable way to spend taxpayer’s money to expect to protect a town like Weymouth for ever against the inevitable?

“Should we say that the 100-year scenario of ‘Hold The Line’ is not sufficient in long-term planning terms?

“Should the commercial centre move progressively back to say, Southill?

“The precedent for this type of change was seen to a small extent with the terrible floods at Chiswell, Portland in 1979.

“Many of the businesses in Victoria Square did subsequently move to safer locations.”

Some short-term mitigation may be provided by building a new sea wall around the entire inner and outer harbour which would need to be at eye height, thereby blocking any pedestrian views of the harbour.

I hope that the report currently being studied by our councillors is based on a more realistic sea level rise figure (1,200mm per century) than the figure of 200mm per century quoted in the Echo report of the meeting.

Geoff Kirby

College Lane

Weymouth