A CASH pot of around £30million could be made available to fund a major coastal defence and enhancement project along the Tendring coastline, it has been revealed.

The scheme from Clacton Pier to Holland Haven still needs to receive technical and financial approval with a decision due later this year.

Nick Turner, Tendring District Council’s cabinet member for environment and coast protection, announced at a cabinet meeting that the amount of money potentially available in Flood Defence Grant in Aid – subject to approval – has doubled.

He said: “I am delighted that the provisional allocation from the Environment Agency has increased from £10.8million to £22m.

“This would allow us to go for the best scheme in Tendring which means around 27 fishtail groynes for the full length of the seafront and beach recharge.

“We haven’t yet achieved critical mass – but we are now a great deal nearer.”

Tendring District Council has set aside £3m which has been match-funded by Essex County Council.

There is another £1m in the pot from other contributions, making a potential £29m in total.

Mr Turner said he will also be looking for other partners to join – in particular, the major national and international firms which serve Tendring and whose assets would be protected by the scheme.

He said, if it all goes ahead, the project will be the second largest coastal protection scheme in the UK currently in the pipeline.

Options for the coastal defences at Clacton and Holland have been drawn up by consultants Mott McDonald for the council and have been out for public consultation.

The documents are being evaluated and included in a project appraisal report which is due to be submitted by May 17.

The scheme will then go before the Environment Agency’s large projects review group in July.

If given the necessary approvals, work is expected to start in early 2015.

An Environment Agency spokesman confirmed the grant could be increased to £22m, subject to financial and technical approvals later in the year.