The changing coast

Our coastline has always changed and always will. But we have not always known as much as we do now about the way that it changes and the things that impact on that change. This has meant that in the past, development has been allowed that has had negative effects on other stretches of coast or that has led to losing natural habitats for plant and wildlife. Climate change and rising sea levels mean that some traditional methods of coastal defence may no longer be viable to maintain and in the longer term more sustainable solutions will be needed.

The first Shoreline Management Plans (SMP1)

Nine years ago the Coastal Group and others produced the first Shoreline Management Plans for the NorthWest England and North Wales coastline (also known as Cell 11). The plans set out the way that Local Authorities and others would work togehter to manage the coast while being confident that any action they take would no thave negative impacts on neighbouring areas. To find out more about SMP1s in your area click here.

Shoreline Management Plan 2 (SMP2)

Technology and our understanding of climate change and how the coast works has changed considerably since the SMP1s were produced. We need to update existing SMP1s to take account of increased knowledge and understanding. Working together with others the North West England and North Wales Coastal Group have developed a second Shoreline Management Plan for our coastline (currently in draft stage for consultation).

The draft SMP2 splits the coast into individual areas or 'policy units' and sets out what the coastal group think is the best way to manage these areas over the next century. There are four main recommendations (or policies) that the draft SMP2 can make in each area:

• Advance the line: New land will be created by building defences further into the sea
• Hold the line: If the existing shoreline is defended, these defences will be maintained or improved where and when needed. If there are no defences, erosion risk will be actively managed
• Managed Realignment: Moving existing defences further inland in a controlled way. Examples of this would be demolishing the existing defences and building new ones further inland or managing sand dunes as they naturally move inland
• No active intervention: No action will be taken to maintain existing defences or prevent nature from taking its course where land is not defended.

Three recommendations are made for each area; one for the next 20 years, one for years 20 to 50 years and one for years 50 to 100 from now. As well as providing long term plans, this approach allows people, places, industry and wildlife to adapt to changes from the previous SMP1 and avoids tying future generations into expensive maintenance.

The draft SMP2 considers all relevant existing planning guidance and laws and has been developed using Defra and Welsh Assembly Government guidance.