Plans for the future management of the north Suffolk coast were approved by councillors last night.

Members of Waveney District Council’s cabinet met on Wednesday to formally adopt the county’s Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), which covers the stretch of coast between Lowestoft Ness and Felixstowe.

The SMP was provisionally approved by the cabinet last November and, following delays, it has since been approved by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), signed off by the Environment Agency, and adopted by Suffolk Coastal District Council last week. (more…)

Several caravans at a South Wales caravan park have been left hanging from the edge of a cliff after a large section of it broke away and crashed to the beach below.

Around 40ft of rock came away from the cliff face at the Knapp Beach end of the Porthkerry Leisure Park in the Vale of Glamorgan.

It is understood no caravans went over the edge but 13 could be seen sticking well out over the edge. At least one was occupied at the time and the woman was said to be “petrified”. (more…)

A coastal defence scheme which could see the shape of Suffolk’s shoreline altered dramatically over the next century is set to be adopted by district leaders.

Plans to manage the 45 mile stretch between Lowestoft Ness and Languard Point in Felixstowe had been subject to opposition from inhabitants of communities denied investment for long-term defence against erosion.

Though flood risk would continue to be managed in all of the county’s main coastal towns and principal villages, areas with no proposed measures in place to slow erosion could be lost to the North Sea by as early as 2055. (more…)

A GREAT deal of work has been done to try to ensure the efficient management of the local shoreline by a number of organisations representing a whole variety of interests.

The North West England and North Wales Shoreline Management Plan 2 final report has recently been published and which covers the whole of the Sefton coastline.

Formby Parish Council took part in the public consultation phase and submitted a response to the draft recommendations. (more…)

St Lawrence councillor, Chris Bonney, last night told the Ventnor Town Council about a new Isle of Wight council consultation taking place over the next three months.

The Draft Shoreline Management Plan 2 is a strategic document setting out policies for the management of the Island’s coastline over the next 20, 50 and 100 years.

The policies also cover the council’s response to coastal flooding and erosion risks. (more…)

COASTAL defences around Millom may only be actively maintained for the next 20 years, according to a new report.

The proposals, identified in Shoreline Management Plan 2, show minimal intervention would be taken after 20 years at Millom Marshes, while coast between Haverigg and Eskmeals could see no active intervention at all.

The consultation document outlines potential policies for the future of the coastline in the North West and North Wales and identifies a handful of area in South Copeland as receiving protection. (more…)

Hopton is aiming to swing a breaker’s ball through a coastal defence plan which suggests no defence.

Leaflets will be dropping on to more than 1,000 doormats urging villagers to take a stand against the Government’s Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) at a public meeting at Potters Leisure Resort on Thursday.

Its suggestion to abandon a huge stretch of the coast to the sea has caused a storm of protest. But Brian Hardisty, chairman of Hopton Coastal Action Group, says not enough people have woken up to the implications of the plan on house prices and the damage it could do to the tourist industry. (more…)

A village and more than 1,000 acres of land would be lost to the sea if plans laid out in a blueprint for tackling erosion in Suffolk are accepted.

The Environment Agency’s Shoreline Management Plan calls for the continued defence of major towns and villages from flooding and coastal erosion.

But it also says over the next 30 to 40 years the village of Covehithe will be surrendered to the sea. (more…)

A SMALL community has told of its determination to protect its homes against coastal erosion after learning it is set to be abandoned to the ravages of the North Sea.

Residents in the tiny hamlet of Covehithe, just north of Southwold, face an uncertain future if Suffolk’s Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) is given the green light.

The scheme has been drawn up to suggest how flood and erosion risk should be tackled along the coast from Lowestoft Ness to Languard Point in Felixstowe.

At Covehithe it recommends a policy of “no active intervention” for the next century – meaning that within 30 to 40 years the entire hamlet, including homes, the historic 15th century church and important conservation areas, will be lost. (more…)

A PLAN to stop a road collapsing into the sea is being held back by red tape, it is claimed.

The road leading to Eskmeals Gun Range, near Bootle, is seven feet away from the highest water level during a storm.

Fears are mounting that one or two extreme waves will result in the road falling into the sea.

Gun range managers QinetiQ plans to install concrete blocks on the beach to protect the road, but needs permission from “a number of parties” before the work can be carried out. (more…)