The Isle of Wight Council is updating the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) for the 110km coastline of the Isle of Wight, reviewing the original plan published in 1997. The process will involve public participation as the plan develops in 2008 and 2009.
The Isle of Wight coast will change over the next 100 years due the impacts of marine erosion, ground instability and flooding by the sea. Current levels of risk are likely to increase through greater human activity and development in coastal areas and as a result of the predicted impacts of climate change. Responsibility for management of the Island's coastal defences against erosion and sea flooding is shared between the Isle of Wight Council and the Environment Agency. The Shoreline Management Plan is the means by which these organisations determine the best way to look after the coast in a sustainable way for the next 100 years. It is prepared using guidelines set down by Defra, the Government Department with responsibility for setting national policy for defence of the coastline.
A Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) is a large-scale assessment of the risks associated with coastal processes which seeks to reduce these risks to people and the developed, historic and natural environments. The SMP will determine the natural forces which are shaping the shoreline to assess how it is likely to change over the next 100 years, taking account of the condition of existing defences. The SMP will develop policies outlining how the shoreline should be managed in the future, balancing the scale of the risks with the social, environmental and financial costs involved, and avoiding adverse impacts on adjacent coastal areas. Due to the current legislative and funding arrangements, climate change and environmental considerations, it may not be possible to protect, or continue to defend, some land and property from flooding or erosion.
|
