A “COMPLACENT” attitude to protecting Wales’ coastal defences has left them neglected at a time when the danger of flooding is expected to rise, a major report from the Wales Audit Office warns.

A report published today by In it the Auditor General claims that in the future it may not be possible to protect all communities from the threat of floods and residents may have to leave their homes.

Today’s report, Coastal Erosion and Tidal Flooding Risks in Wales, advises that severe storms will become more common as a result of climate change and sea levels are predicted to rise by around one metre over the next 100 years. (more…)

The Environment Agency has posted its response to Defra’s Consultation on Coastal Change Policy on it’s website:

We welcome the Coastal Change consultation and believe that for decisions to be made about a sustainable future for the coast there must be meaningful practical support for those affected by coastal change.
We:

• support the proposals for a coastal erosion assistance package for individuals and the use of the coastal change fund for community adaptation pathfinders
• see this as a positive initiative which needs to give local authorities sufficient flexibility to apply within their communities
• would like a clear policy and financial framework beyond 2011 that includes better levels of support to individuals at the ‘front line’ of coastal change
• welcome the Community Adaptation Planning and Engagement guidance, and have already adopted its principles in joint Environment Agency / local authority engagement work on Shoreline Management Plans and erosion maps.

Read the full response on the Environment Agency website

The Manhood Peninsula Steering Group has responded to Defra’s Consultation on Coastal Change Policy:

Coastal change is an issue which crosses into many different areas of government policy: planning, housing, transport, welfare, employment, economic development, nature conservation etc.

MPSG believes that an ICZM approach to coastal zones will be necessary to deliver any coherent package of measures and policies which allow our coastline to remain a vibrant place to live, work or visit. This requires locally-accountable governance bodies to shape local policy and develop ongoing management plans specifically for the coastal zone, cutting across existing administrative boundaries and responsibilities. (more…)

Sea defence campaigners and residents have had the chance to shape the future of Medmerry after updated discussions with the Environment Agency (EA) about coastal protection.

During a meeting at Selsey Town Hall, residents had the opportunity to come up with their own ideas on how they wanted to protect Medmerry, where homes have been close to crumbling and being lost to the sea for good.

It was decided the option of managed realignment would be carried out at the coastal village in the EA’s Pagham to East Head Coastal Defence Strategy introduced last year. (more…)

A retired engineer has been dealt a blow in his battle to prevent his home from falling into the North Sea after an appeal was upheld.

Conservation watchdog Natural England has today won an appeal against a court judgment to allow the cliffs below Peter Boggis’ home at Easton Bavents, near Southwold, to erode naturally.

Since 2002, the 78-year-old has spent tens of thousands of pounds installing his own “soft” sea defences built of 250,000 tonnes of compacted clay soil in front of the cliffs near his home. (more…)

PART of the seawall that spans the boundary of Corton and Hopton collapsed during the weekend.

This was not unexpected and occurred in a section where public access is already prohibited.

The collapse was anticipated and occurred over a part of the shoreline on the Waveney District and Great Yarmouth Borough Council borders, which is cordoned off by barriers and warning signs. (more…)

THE county council is trying to secure the future of a gun range which employs 82 people.

Fears are growing for the future of Eskmeals Gun Range as its only access road faces being washed away by the sea.

Cumbria County Council has vowed to step in and write to the Ministry of Defence, which owns the gun range; Copeland Borough Council, in charge of preventing coastal erosion; and the Environment Agency, to request funding to install sea defences or move the affected stretch of road before any damage can be caused. (more…)

Burnham’s sea wall will need to be replaced “with a far higher structure” to protect the town from coastal flooding in the future, the Environment Agency revealed this week as it outlined its long-term proposals for the next few decades.

Dozens of Burnham-On-Sea residents, including Burnham-On-Sea.com, attended a special meeting in the town’s Princess Hall on Tuesday (October 13th), where the agency unveiled a draft version of its Somerset Shoreline Management Plan, which outlines its plans for our coastal defences.

At the event, the Environment Agency’s Angela Proctor said its recommended policy for Burnham is to “continue to minimise the risk of erosion and flooding, through a ‘hold the line’ policy.” (more…)

The future of Cumbria’s Eskmeals firing range is in doubt because the only access road is in danger of being washed away.

The Ministry of Defence gun range, operated by QinetiQ, employs 82 people.

But the only access, from the A595 at Bootle in west Cumbria, is at risk from coastal erosion. (more…)

Residents in Burnham-On-Sea will today (Tuesday, October 13th) be able to have their say about the threat of coastal erosion and how our coastline and its estuaries should be managed.

The Environment Agency is holding an event in Burnham’s Princess Hall to present a draft version of the Somerset Shoreline Management Plan, which considers flood and erosion risk management.

The event will include formal presentations and discussions between 3pm and 5pm and an open exhibition, which anyone is welcome to visit, between 5pm and 7.30pm. (more…)