Shoreline Management Plan
Great Ormes Head to Scotland SMP22
General actions for this SMP
This shows the actions generic to the whole of this SMP. For further actions relating to specific locations, select an area on the map above or use the postcode/location search and click on the Action Plan tab.
All actions are subject to funding and approval, often by other parties than the Lead Organisation shown.
| Reference Number | Action Description | Action Lead Organisation | Action Progress Status | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.01 | For Wales: Communicate the completion of the SMP2 to the North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) and WG Planning Department to ensure appropriate reflection in the next version to the Regional Plans | Coastal Group - North Wales | On hold | Medium |
| 0.02 | For Wales: Communicate the completion of the SMP2 to the Regional Development Agency to ensure appropriate reflection in RS2010 (formed from the Regional Spatial Strategy and Regional Housing Strategy). | Coastal Group - North Wales | On hold | Medium |
| 0.03 | For Wales: Inform and involve Local Authority Planning Officers of final SMP2 recommendations and implications. | Local Authority | Progressing | Medium |
| 0.04 | For Wales: Submit SMP2 to Local Authority Planning Committees, Local Development Framework Panels and other similar panels / committees, with recommendation to approve the SMP2 for consideration in preparation of planning documents and for development control purposes and incorporation in the Local Development Framework. | Local Authority | Complete | Medium |
| 0.05 | For Wales: Advise Local Authority and Regional Planning Officers of the availability of completed SMP2 for inclusion as reference material for, or an annex to, the Local Development Framework (or other local land use development plans). | Local Authority | Complete | Medium |
| 0.06 | For Wales: Promote the use of Strategic Flood Risk / Consequence Assessment as part of the preparation of development framework documents. | Local Authority | Complete | Medium |
| 0.09 | For Wales: Advise the local planning Authorities of the need to promote the consideration of the relocation of land uses that are at risk from erosion or flooding, within the preparation of local land use plans such as LDF / LDP documents. Identify elements of the preferred option polices where this may apply | Local Authority | Complete | Medium |
| 0.11 | For Wales: Formal adoption of the SMP2 by the Coast Protection Authorities, the Regional Flood Defence Committee, Natural England, NRW and other partner authorities and the Environment Agency’s National Review Group. | Coastal Group - North Wales | Complete | Medium |
| 0.12 | For Wales: Promote a formal, policy, link between SMP2s and Local Development Frameworks/ Local Development Plans and Regional Plans. This will require Defra/WG and ODPM to review current arrangements. | Coastal Group - North Wales | On hold | Medium |
| 0.15 | For Wales: Promote the investigation, and implementation, of mechanisms to facilitate the removal of ‘at risk’ assets (properties, infrastructure, etc), to enable the implementation and community adaptation to long term realignment/NAI policies. This will require account to be taken of the current consultation of coastal adaptation in England. | Coastal Group - North Wales | Progressing | Medium |
| 0.16 | For Wales: Develop exit strategies/management plans for the relocation of communities and removal of assets when they become at risk from erosion. | Local Authority | Planned/programmed | Medium |
| 0.17 | For Wales: Develop medium to long-term plans for relocation of community services and facilities that will be lost to erosion, e.g. outfalls, highways. | Service and utility providers and highways agencies. | Planned/programmed | Medium |
| 0.18 | For Wales: Develop and promote a communication strategy / awareness raising / education of the public with regards to potential future coastal issues and SMP2 recommendations. | Coastal Group - North Wales | Progressing | Medium |
| 0.19 | For Wales: Develop the Welsh Coastal Monitoring Centre programme to include estuaries and encompass all areas of the SMP2 | Coastal Group - North Wales | Complete | Medium |
| 0.22 | For Wales: Identifying responsibilities for cliff stabilisation measures. | Coastal Group - North Wales | On hold | Medium |
| 0.23 | For Wales: Consider progress with CFMP Action Plans in linked areas | Coastal Group - North Wales | On hold | Medium |
| 0.24 | For Wales: Clarify the future role and status of the estuarine authorities before next SMP review in conjunction with consideration of the need for any changes to Coast Protection Act (1949) Schedule (IV) boundaries. | Coastal Group - North Wales | Planned/programmed | Medium |
| 0.25 | For Wales: Review the SMP2 policies in the light of new EA guidance on use of UKCP09 climate change scenarios in flood and coastal erosion risk management. EA guidance on use of UKCP09 climate change scenarios in flood and coastal erosion risk management. | Coastal Group - North Wales | Planned/programmed | Medium |
| 0.26 | For Wales: Consider the implications of changing land use as a result of SMP2 policies in relation to national food security and the importance of agricultural land at the overall SMP2 scale. | Coastal Group - North Wales | On hold | Medium |
| 0.27 | For Wales: Coastal group to provide a short “lessons learnt” report to feed back high-level policy and guidance issues to Defra / EA National Quality Review Group. | Coastal Group - North Wales | On hold | Medium |
| SMP22_0.01 | For England: Establish and maintain an SMP Group within the North West North Wales Coastal Group to monitor, report and co-ordinate implementation of SMP actions and management approaches, review and manage changes to the SMP, and promote the SMP in investment programmes and local development planning. Define review process for policy implementation and policy change. | North West and North Wales Coastal Group (SMP22 Management Group) | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.02 | For England: Establish a communications and engagement approach to ensure that elected members of local councils are aware of and understand the management approaches agreed in the SMP, and the opportunities and implications for their local area. | Pending agreement | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.03 | For England: Engage with the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee to ensure the investment needs arising from the SMP – including resource to update and maintain the SMP - are reflected in flood and coastal erosion risk management investment planning. | North West and North Wales Coastal Group (SMP22 Management Group) | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.04 | For England: Develop a Strategic Communications and Engagement Plan to ensure the SMP has profile with those making investment and planning decisions, and is used and understood by those living or working at the coast (or seeking to do so) within the SMP area. | North West and North Wales Coastal Group (SMP22 Management Group) | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.05 | For England: Update the Strategic Environmental Assessment for the SMP to ensure it reflects any changes made to the Plan’s management intent or impacts of existing management intent on Highly Protected Marine Areas, Marine Conservation Zones and SSSIs. | North West and North Wales Coastal Group (SMP22 Management Group) | Not yet started | Medium |
| SMP22_0.06 | For England: Carry out a strategic-level review of the Habitats Regulations Assessment of the SMP to ensure it reflects any changes made to the Plan’s management intent or impacts of existing management intent on newly designated protected European Sites. | North West and North Wales Coastal Group (SMP22 Management Group) | Not yet started | Medium |
| SMP22_0.07 | For England: Undertake a scoping and screening exercise to identify if further work is needed to assess whether the impact of coastal defences and other coastal structures (such as roads, railway and utility structures) may be leading to or exacerbating habitat loss in designated sites. For Wales: Complete the ongoing study: Understanding the likely scale of deterioration of Marine Protected Area features due to coastal squeeze and share findings to inform an SMP wide overview. | Coast Protection Authorities | Not yet started | Medium |
| SMP22_0.08 | For England: Apply to each coastal sub-section (a, b , c, d & e). After carrying out the coastal squeeze scoping and screening exercise, undertake a more detailed review of habitat loss due to coastal squeeze on defended/ managed coastlines. Use the results to identify the requirement for habitat compensation which will form part of the Habitat Compensation and Restoration Plan. | Coast Protection Authorities | Not yet started | Medium |
| SMP22_0.09 | For England: Identify potential opportunities for statutory habitat compensation and take forward through the regional Habitat Compensation and Restoration Programme in discussion with the local Programme Lead. | Pending agreement | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.1 | For England: Consider opportunities for habitat enhancement as part of any flood and erosion risk management works, particularly for areas of managed realignment. | Coastal Protection Authorities | Complete | Medium |
| SMP22_0.11 | For England: Inform local Planning Authorities of SMP policies and flood and erosion risk reports to ensure they are considered in future Land Use plans and planning decisions. | Coast Protection Authorities | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.12 | For England: Identify potential areas of habitat creation and restoration that could be delivered through Local Nature Recovery Strategies, for Biodiversity Net Gain from development planning, and other initiatives, and align these with the Habitat Compensation and Restoration Programme. | Local Planning Authorities | Planned/programmed | Medium |
| SMP22_0.14 | For England: Ensure that local and regional development planning documents take account of SMP policies and flood erosion risks, including the designation of Coastal Change Management Areas where potential, predicted or residual risk from flood, landslip or erosion requires consideration in development consents and future planning. | Coast Protection Authorities | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.15 | For England: Align terrestrial and marine planning regimes through Integrated Coastal Zone Management. | Marine Management Organisation | Planned/programmed | Medium |
| SMP22_0.16 | For England: Adopt and implement a flood risk management strategy for each North West estuary. | Environment Agency | Planned/programmed | Medium |
| SMP22_0.17 | For England: Undertake estuary wide studies to investigate and identify Managed Realignment opportunities (including regulated tidal exchange (RTE) schemes) in the medium to long term. Model and develop plans to implement where practicable to create a more sustainable defence alignment. | Environment Agency | Planned/programmed | Medium |
| SMP22_0.18 | For England: Develop localised adaptation strategies for locations within the SMP where a transition from one management approach to another will or may be needed, reflecting locally agreed options and triggers for intervention. | Coast Protection Authorities | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.19 | For England: Review proposals for estuary tidal power schemes, with the option to incorporate a potential scheme into next SMP review. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.2 | For England: Improve the North West’s emergency response by creating a combined regional emergency response plan. | Local Resilience Forum | Progressing | Medium |
| SMP22_0.21 | For England: Use data from Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme and local studies to inform improvements to Environment Agency flood and erosion risk data to support published projections of risk that inform SMP management approaches and coastal strategies. | Regional Coastal Monitoring Centre | Complete | Medium |
| 0.1 | For Wales: Consider designation of features such as cliffs and dunes as coastal defence 'feature' under Schedule 1 of the Floods and Water Management Act (2010) | Coastal Group - North Wales | Complete | Medium-low |
| SMP22_0.13 | For England: Carry out a strategic-level review to ensure the SMP reflects the opportunities to meet objectives set out in the River Basin Management Plan coving the SMP’s Transitional and Coastal Waters. | Coast Protection Authorities | Planned/programmed |
Download SMP documents
The information on this website represents the current SMP management approaches adopted by the local authorities within its area, and current actions needed to deliver them. These management approaches have been approved by the Environment Agency under its Strategic Overview for coastal flood and erosion risk management and are considered to be local policy.
The documents below provide the full SMP adopted locally and approved by the Environment Agency at the time of publication. Some of the information has changed in response to new government policy, new evidence or new work identified.
Data on this page
Appendices
- Appendix A - SMP Development
- Appendix B - Stakeholder Development
- Appendix C - Baseline Process Understanding
- Appendix D - SEA Environmental Baseline Report (Theme Review)
- Appendix E - Issues and Objectives Evaluation
- Appendix F - Policy Development and Appraisal
- Appendix G – Policy Scenario Testing
- Appendix H - Economics and Sensitivity
- Appendix I - SEA
- Appendix J - HRA
- Appendix K - WFD
- Appendix L - Metadata and bibliography
About this SMP
This Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) covers the length of coast between Great Orme’s Head in Wales and the Scottish border, including several large estuaries. This area is known as coastal cell 11.
You can read the full SMP document by selecting the Download tab. This SMP was completed in 2011 and received formal adoption and sign off from relevant local authorities and the Environment Agency and Welsh Government.
Managing shorelines in this area
The SMP for this area presents agreed approaches to managing the risk of coastal flooding and erosion at the shoreline and in estuaries over the short, medium, and long term, considering the implications of climate change.
In some locations, the approaches set out in the SMP change over time, for example from holding the current shoreline position with defences to realigning it or allowing the coast to change more naturally.
The SMP shows where this may affect people, property or the natural environment and the action plan includes measures to manage the local effects of coastal change.Local development planning can then be used to help avoid or address these effects, for example by identifying where new or relocated buildings can be built and defining any conditions to promote safety or sustainability. More localised Coastal Strategies may also be developed to identify how the approach in the SMP should be funded and implemented in more detail. You can find these under the Related Links tab for the SMP.
The objectives of the SMP can be found in the national SMP Guidance document (Volume 1, section 2.1). In summary, they are to identify preferred approaches for:
- managing flood and erosion risk to existing properties and other assets
- identifying approaches that are economically, technically and environmentally sustainable
- protecting and enhancing the natural features and character of the coast through these approaches where possible
Managing inland flood risk
To find out more about managing future flood risk inland, see the Flood Risk Management Plan.
Developing this SMP
The group that developed and agreed this SMP included:
- Blackpool Council
- Cheshire West & Chester County Council
- Conwy County Borough Council
- Cumberland Council (previously Carlisle City Council, Allerdale Borough Council and Copeland Borough Council)
- Denbighshire County Council
- Flintshire County Council
- Fylde Council
- Lancashire County Council
- Lancaster City Council
- Sefton Council
- West Lancashire Borough Council
- Westmorland & Furness Council (Previously Barrow-in Furness Borough Council and South Lakeland District Council)
- Wirral Council
- Wyre Council
- Environment Agency
- National Trust
- Natural England
- Natural Resources Wales (Formed in April 2013 from the Countryside Council for Wales, Environment Agency Wales, Forestry Commission Wales and some functions from Welsh Government)
- Network Rail
- Nuclear Decommissioning Agency
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
The group consulted the public and engaged with a range of stakeholders interested in the area’s coastal management while developing this SMP. The SMP was approved by the Environment Agency and Welsh Government and formally adopted by each local authority. You can find further details of how the group developed the SMP in Appendix B of the document. This can be found by selecting the Download tab.