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What are coast protection authorities? Coast protection authorities are those district or county councils in which any part adjoins the sea. There are 16 coast protection authorities in the north west of Englnd & North Wales. What is my Local Authority doing about coastal issues? Every coast protection authority has to produce a 'policy statement' for flood and coast defence outlining what their priorities are. These policy statements should be available to you either at your local council offices or on their web site.
Shoreline Management Plan's include recommendations for future works, studies and monitoring.
Some authority's also produce Shoreline Strategy Plans which provide more details of future proposals for specific lengths of coastline.
Copies of these documents may be obtained from local libraries or via your Local Authority. What responsibilities do coastal authorities have? Contrary to what you may believe, coast protection authorities do not have any obligations with regards flood and coastal defence works. Works undertaken are generally carried out under permissive powers. This means that the authority has 'powers' rather than 'duties' and will not be liable for the failure to exercise these powers. This is reflected in The Coast protection Act, 1949.
There is an exception though, which is the obligation to protect important habitats, under the European Union Habitats Directive. Who is responsible for the coast? This can be a little complicated.
In general terms the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is responsible for coastal policy and administration in England, whilst the National Assembly for Wales (NAW) has the same remit in Wales. The Environment Agency and Local Authorities have operational responsibilities.
The Environment Agency has operational responsibility for defending against flooding from the sea and for flood warnings as well as having a general supervisory responsibility over all matters relating to flood defence.
Local Authorities have operational powers relating to coast protection, that is protecting against coastal erosion. Shoreline Management Plans set out the lenghts of coast under the responsibility of each coast protection authority.
To summarise, coast protection authorities may carry out works in relation to coast erosion and encroachment by the sea within the areas for which they are responsible. These works are carrie out under the supervision of the Environment Agency and are subject to funding constraints and guidance requirements imposed by DEFRA. The Environment Agency may withhold consent for any operation likely to have an adverse effect on flood defence.
Where defences are on private land, the landowner becomes responsible for their maintenance.
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