You are here: Coastal Home > SMP Homepage > Who's involved

Who's Involved

The Isle of Wight Shoreline Management Plan is being reviewed by the Isle of Centre for the Coastal Environment (the Isle of Wight Council's coastal management team), in association with the Environment Agency.

The organisations responsible for coastal risk management on the Isle of Wight (the Operating Authorities) are the Isle of Wight Council and the Environment Agency.

National government policy on coastal risk management is set by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Steering Group:

The Steering Group is responsible for the management, development and adoption of the new SMP, comprising of representatives from the operating authorities, neighbouring SMPs, statutory authorities and key interest organisations:

Key organisations:

The following organisations are producing the new Shoreline Management Plan:

Isle of Wight Centre for the Coastal Environment, Isle of Wight Council
www.coastalwight.gov.uk
www.iwight.com

The Isle of Wight Centre for the Coastal Environment (IWCCE) was established in 1996 to deliver the Isle of Wight Council's growing activities on a local, regional, national and transnational scale in relation to coastal and geotechnical issues. The coastal management team of the Isle of Wight Council, it delivers the following functions:

• Coastal defence
• Coastal, landslide and cliff management and monitoring
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)
• Ground stability engineering
• Planning liaison over coastal and geotechnical-related issues
• European-funded projects improving our understanding of coastal change, ground movement and coastal management
• Dissemination of information, consultations and a schools education programme through the Isle of Wight Coastal Visitor's Centre.
• Management of Newport Harbour and Ventnor Haven.

The Environment Agency
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood/
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood/1217883/1217968/?version=1&lang=_e

On 1 April 2008 the Environment Agency took over the strategic overview for coastal risk management issues in England, in addition to their previous work on flood risk.

The Environment Agency is the lead agency for all sea and inland flood risk management. This means the EA will be accountable for sea flooding risk management decisions (i.e. whether works go ahead, to what standard etc.).

Local Authorities remain the lead authority for coastal erosion risk management. This means Local Authorities remain accountable for how coastal erosion is addressed. The EA will approve and fund sustainable plans, strategies and capital projects.

Regional Coastal Group: SCOPAC & the Southern Coastal Group
www.scopac.org.uk

SCOPAC (the Standing Conference on Problems Associated with the Coastline) is the Regional Coastal Group for central-southern England, bringing together the neighbouring organisations involved in coastal risk management in the area.

SCOPAC works to promote sustainable shoreline management, and to facilitate the duties and responsibilities of local authorities and other organisations managing the coastal zone of central southern England.

National Government: Defra
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/default.htm

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has overall policy responsibility for flood and coastal erosion risk in England. Defra funds most of the Environment Agency's flood management activities in England and provides grant aid through the Environment Agency to the other flood and coastal defence operating authorities (local authorities and internal drainage boards) to support their investment in capital improvement projects to manage flood and coastal erosion risk.

Defra's policy is to reduce risks to people, property and the environment from flooding and coastal erosion through the provision of defences, flood forecasting and warning systems, increased flood resilience of property, beneficial land management changes and discouragement of inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding.

Defra's programme includes encouragement of Shoreline Management Plans and Coastal Groups, a joint research and development programme with the Environment Agency and funding of the Environment Agency's flood risk maps, Catchment Flood Management Plans and Public Awareness Campaigns.

The flood and coastal defence operating authorities have permissive powers to undertake works to manage risk - there is no statutory obligation on them to do so and thus no statutory right to levels of protection. Individuals and communities will have variable standards of defence according to geography, the operating authorities' approach and priorities, and the varying ratio of benefits and costs from providing particular defences.