In their own words... services for coastal regeneration

Environment agency

Although town planning and regeneration activities are beyond the direct responsibility of the Environment Agency, we have an important part to play in coastal regeneration. This is because of our role in deciding and funding coastal flood and erosion risk management approaches. In particular, we oversee the development of Shoreline Management Plans by Coastal Groups, and prioritise which coastal defence works are undertaken each year. To defend everywhere would be both unsustainable and prohibitively expensive, so we sometimes have to make difficult decisions.

Whether or not a town or village receives protection can have important implications for how attractive it is to live or invest in. We therefore take our decisions very seriously and work closely with maritime local authorities to agree the best approaches. We are keen to ensure that people living, working and ‘prospecting’ for housing or investment in coastal areas are fully aware of the potential risks from flooding and erosion so they can make informed decisions. We have published flood hazard maps on our website, and we are now developing coastal erosion risk maps to complete the picture. We also have dedicated teams of community engagement staff around the country who proactively work with individuals and organisations to encourage involvement in coastal planning and raise awareness of risk where it exists.

Erosion and coastal management data from local authorities and other sources will be captured in our new maps. They will inform the designation of the new Coastal Change Management Areas (CCMAs) proposed by CLG in their new Planning Policy Statement on Development and Coastal Change. Planning applications in these areas will be subject to restrictions to ensure future generations are not left with an expensive legacy of protecting inappropriate development. Along with our existing role as a statutory consultee for planning applications in the flood zone, we will also expect to be consulted on larger planning applications in these new CCMAs.

However, we are also working with CLG to ensure that planning policy does not stifle sustainable regeneration in coastal towns as they develop their policy guidance further in 2010. In places where communities without protection have to adapt to change, we have helped Defra to select a series of ‘pathfinder’ initiatives to test practical adaptation measures across the country using a new Coastal Change Fund. Our input to national policy is informed by involvement with forums such as the Cross-Departmental Working Group on Coastal Towns hosted by CLG, which draws together regional and local experiences of regeneration activities in order to identify barriers to - and opportunities for - better coastal planning.

 We are therefore involved in decisions and initiatives affecting coastal regeneration from a local to a national level. Above all, we want to be part of the solution wherever coastal management decisions create problems for coastal communities.

 Environment Agency Customer Services  Tel. 08708 506 506

(Mon-Fri, 8am - 6pm)