IF there’s one thing that’s constant about the sea, it’s that it’s always changing, say our coastal experts.

Waves and tides move sand and sediment around the coast and up and down the estuary, changing the way that the shoreline looks, works and protects our homes and towns.

Climate change will bring higher sea levels, stormier seas and more rain – all of which will increase the pressure on the Merseyside area.

But it’s what we do about it that’s important.

The Environment Agency is working with the North West England and North Wales Coastal Group, Local Authorities and other organisations to identify where risk from erosion and flooding is greatest and set out effective solutions.

To do this they will produce a Shoreline Management Plan which will consider the effects of different actions on peoples homes and lives, business and tourism and the environment, and give suggestions on the best action to take in each area. (more…)

“Coastal views – Shoreline Management Plans in sight”

That’s the headline from one section of the Aummer 2009 edition of Floodnews, a quarterly business briefing for professionals whose work is affected by flood and coastal erosion issues.

The second series of Shoreline Management Plans are now securing approval, and publication of the completed documents has begun.

Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) report on the natural evolution of the coast and the predicted impacts on the environment using three epochs: 20, 50 and 100 years into the future. They help set the long-term planning and investment for coastal defences.

To coincide with the release of SMPs, we are preparing complementing online information to show the areas of the English and Welsh coastline at risk of erosion. The information
will show the impact of erosion and agreed management policies for England and Wales. Our modelling uses the latest scientific data and the most recent UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09). (more…)

It is perhaps appropriate to recognise the extent and complexity of the possible problems facing the UK Government (irrespective of political persuasion) in managing the coast through what science is telling us may well be a significant and prolonged period of climate change. Of paramount importance will be our adopted Governance and how we manage our way through that period in the interests of all our people.

The coast is, of course, in the absolute front line of climate change where sea level rise and more unpredictable weather patterns could have a significant impact on communities within the coastal zone.

Read the full response to Defra’s Consultation on Coastal Change Policy by the Coastal Concern Action Group on the CCAG website.

The consultation on ‘ Coastal Change Policy’ was launched by DEFRA in June 2009 . The document set out DEFRA’s ideas for how coastal communities can successfully adapt to the impacts of coastal change and Government’s role in supporting this . All official Consultees were invited to respond by 25 September 2009.

DOC has provided DEFRA with a detailed response on behalf of its members and has urged all relevant  Local Authorities to do the same.  At the end of the consultation period copies of all responses received by Defra will be made  publicly available through their Information Resource Centre in London.

Following the consultation, the Government will analyse the responses and draft a final version of the policy. Government’s  aim is to publish this revised policy in 2010.

Read the full response from Defend Our Coast on the DOC website

A DISTRICT council says it is “disappointed” to have been left off an eight-page list of consultees to Defra’s Coastal Change Policy discussions.

The cross-government project is developing approaches to support communities facing the risk of coastal erosion and flooding in cases where properties, businesses and infrastructure are significantly impacted.

Although everyone from Action Mersey Estuary to Yorkshire Water has been consulted, East Devon District Council was left off the list. (more…)

Campaigners fighting to protect a north Suffolk estuary are preparing to spend up to eight years repairing damaged river banks themselves now that plans for DIY flood defences have been given the green light.

The Environment Agency announced in 2007 that it could no longer justify large-scale investment to repair the defences around the Blyth Estuary, near Southwold, in the face of predicted rising sea levels.

It proposed a strategy of managed retreat, which would see the existing walls protecting land around Southwold, Walberswick, Reydon and Blythburgh, maintained for a maximum of 20 years, but with some sections allowed to breach much sooner. (more…)

PENSIONERS whose homes have been left on the brink of crumbling cliffs by devastating landslips could benefit from a new bid for North Yorkshire to lead the way in helping coastal communities which have no hope of getting expensive sea defences.

Scarborough is pressing to be one of the towns that will test ways of helping communities in erosion hot spots too small to warrant investment in expensive schemes, such as rock armour and sea walls.

It is also hoped that the private estate of Knipe Point, near Filey, where pensioners’ homes are under threat because of flooding and slippage on adjoining National Trust land, may be among those to benefit from the scheme. (more…)

A scheme to flood part of the north Norfolk coast at high tide to protect a popular harbour has been welcomed.

The Environment Agency’s shoreline management plan would involve breaching Blakeney Freshes to make sure Blakeney’s harbour does not totally silt up.

About 30 people visited a public display in Blakeney Harbour Room on Saturday to examine the draft plan to 2105 to breach part of Blakeney Freshes so water from high tides can wash away silt from the harbour. (more…)

Coastal areas are naturally at risk from erosion and flooding, but this risk is increased by the effects of climate change. A recent study has examined choices for regulators and coastline managers and suggests that successful management in high risk areas needs a fully integrated approach involving all stakeholders. (more…)

Edge is the work of photographic artists Valerie Dalling and Kimberley Cox, both former graduates from the University of Derby.

This two-year visual arts project is aimed at raising awareness of how changes to our British coastline appears to be accelerating as a result of global warming, and the devastating consequences this is having particularly on coastal communities.

If you would like to become part of this project and you are planning a holiday or visit to the coast, Edge would like your help. When standing on the beach, please turn your back on the sea and take a photograph of the immediate coastline.

For more details visit the Edge website