An area that holds special memories of my childhood is the Cuckmere Valley near Seaford.

During my formative years, my parents used to regularly take me for picnics down on Cuckmere beach and when a little older I used to go camping annually near Litlington.

The estuary, set against the backdrop of the Seven Sisters, is perhaps one of the most famous views in the whole of the United Kingdom and draws thousands of visitors each year.

Yet, this environment is not as natural as it would appear. Look closely at the Cuckmere river and you will notice that the straight channel cut between the meander loops from Exceat to the sea is entirely artificial.

This straight channel dates from about 1840, when the meander loops were by-passed for commercial shipping purposes. It is many decades since this use has been required, but the canalisation of this part of the river has had, and continues to have, significant environmental consequences.

When the river was straightened and water no longer continued to meander along the valley, the river gained more energy and this has completely altered the erosion and deposition rates near the mouth.

Various coastal defence works carried out over the years have also prevented incursion of the valley from the sea, further affecting its characteristics.

Regular visitors to the area will have noticed that many of these coastal defences are in a fairly poor state of repair and the Environment Agency has investigated how this area should be managed as a result.

A consultation document has been published, setting out the options for how the area should be flood defence managed in the future.

It is expected that the Cuckmere Valley will be at further risk from flooding in the future due to climate change issues such as sea level rise and increased likelihood of storm activity.

The options include a "do nothing" strategy, maintaining the existing defences and changing the location of the defences.

All three options will significantly alter the visual appearance of the valley, either through changing the natural landscape or by building additional defence infrastructure.

All the options are controversial, but the favoured option of withdrawing maintenance over a period of time has caused a huge protest from local people who fear that this approach will bring about an unacceptable change.

Once maintenance is withdrawn, the valley will effectively be left to the mercy of the elements and will eventually revert to an estuary system with salt marshes developing over time.

What do you think of the proposals?

If you have strong feelings, why not take part in the Environment Agency consultation, which can be found online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/consultations.

Full information about the proposed changes can be found there, together with details of public meetings and displays.

For an alternative point of view, try also www.rescuethecuckmerevalley.com

The consultation closes on December 10, 2007.