Essex and South Suffolk SMP8
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MI_7 | Address erosion impacts of high speed boat wash on inter-tidal habitats and flood defences, in particular in the Crouch. | CBC, Maldon Borough Council | Progressing | Medium |
| DP_3 | Hold the line policy will be challenging and landowners need to take a more active role in maintenance and improvements of defences. Potential delivery route, MCC | Environment Agency, Maldon Borough Council, National Farmers Union | Progressing | Medium |
| 48 | 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. | Environment Agency | Not yet started | Medium |
| 49 | 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. | SMP8 Management Group | Not yet started | Medium |
| 50 | 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. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium |
| 51 | Help secure funding and capacity for ongoing implementation of the Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme, ensuring its design continues to capture information required to inform management of key areas of risk or uncertainty within the SMP. | SMP8 Management Group | Tbc | Medium |
| 1 | Develop a Suffolk Coastal Strategy to integrate SMP outcomes into wider planning, economic environmental and social work programmes. | Environment Agency | On hold | Medium-low |
| 3 | Identify maintenance and improvement schemes for Hold the Line frontages and seek funding for viable schemes. | SMP8 Management Group | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 6 | Establish the extent of contaminated defences/land and methods for future management. Review of policies that concern waste-filled sea walls and land following completion. | Environment Agency and Essex County Council | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 7 | Re-evaluate the economic benefits of existing defences and use the information to update SMP management approaches if appropriate and with reference to the ambitions in the National FCRM Strategy. | SMP8 Management Group | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 8 | Update and maintain flood defence asset database (AIMs) and link with other operating authority/organisation databases. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 9 | Investigate the currently undefended areas of the coast at erosion risk where assets/properties are at risk and consider management options with asset owners. | Local authorities in the SMP area | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 11 | 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. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 13 | Develop a communications plan to ensure active engagement of landowners in habitat creation linked to future habitat creation requirements. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 14 | Develop a communications plan to ensure active engagement of county-wide spatial and emergency planning officer groups. | Environment Agency, Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 17 | Ensure landowners have emergency plans in place of a flood event and know what they can do before, during and after a flood event. | ECO | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 18 | Maintain links between SMP activites and incident response, and promote awareness of the Flood Warning Service, flood risk and benefit of emergency plans. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 22 | Integrate SMP policies into Local Planning Documents and Frameworks including Local Plans, Green Infrastructure plans, Open Space reviews and new Marine Plans. | Local authorities in the SMP area | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 28 | Ensure integration of coastal planning policies with Marine Plans. | SMP8 Management Group | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 29 | Use learning from Defra Coastal Change Pathfinders, Coastal Transition Accelerator Project, Adaptation Pathways Pathfinders and other initiatives to develop management approaches for communities at risk from coastal erosion or increased flooding. 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. | SMP8 Management Group | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 30 | Provide advice for property owners in flood risk areas on how they can adapt their homes and businesses to become more resilient. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 31 | Identify and communicate options and tools, including from Environmental Land Management Scheme, to assist farmers and other landowners in adapting to coastal change under current or future management approaches. | SMP8 Management Group | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 32 | 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. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 33 | 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. Include investigation of freshwater habitat replacement opportunities through a local project linked to RHCP. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 37 | Update projections of habitat change using evidence from the Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme and local studies with reference to the latest sea level rise projections to inform the Habitat Compensation and Restoration Programme. Establish a saltmarsh monitoring programme using a 2010/2011 baseline for future work and discussions about coastal habitat loss. Include local involvement to agree an approach to give a shared confidence in the data. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 39 | Work with marinas, ports and landowners to investigate opportunities identified by various existing studies to use dredged sediment to recharge intertidal areas for risk management or habitat creation purposes. | Environment Agency | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 40 | Review and revise the Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys, particularly for Essex, and contribute to plans for any advance investigative work requirements at PDZs with changing management policies. | SMP8 Management Group | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 42 | 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. Undertake periodic review of monitoring data of SSSI habitats. | Environment Agency and Natural England | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 43 | Monitor the current and potential impact of SMP delivery on protected landscape designations, and adapt management approaches to maintain landscape value where possible | Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Unit | Progressing | Medium-low |
| S&0_1 | Ensure Estuary Strategies and Management Plans in Essex are informed by the SMP, and incorporate relevant management approaches and actions. | Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Unit | Progressing | Medium-low |
| R&C_5 | Investigate options for future management and funding sources to maintain railway embankment as a potential secondary line of flood defence on the north bank of the Crouch. | Environment Agency and Essex County Council | Progressing | Medium-low |
| 10 | Establish and maintain an SMP Group within the East Anglia 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. Monitor delivery and integration of wide variety of coastal issues. | East Anglia Coastal Group | Complete | Medium-low |
| 23 | Use planning and licensing applications, and integration of SMP with Local Planning Documents, to encourage local planning policies that identify adaptive approaches with triggers for changes in management of flood and erosion risk, 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. | Local Planning Authorities in the SMP area | On hold | Low |
| 24 | Develop planning policy locally for caravan parks within a national policy framework e.g. roll-back policy. This needs to include the issue of permanent residency. | Local Planning Authorities in the SMP area | On hold | Low |
| 26 | Provide guidance on liability for landowners who maintain defences with Country Rights Of Way and footpaths that are not designated. | Local authorities in the SMP area | On hold | Low |
| 0 | Develop good practice guidance for landowners regarding private defences, application for consent. | Environment Agency and local authorities in the SMP area | Complete | Low |
| 15 | Develop flood risk guidance specifically for caravan owners, occupants and businesses to raise awareness of risk and emergency plans. | Essex County Council, local authorities in the SMP area | Complete | Low |
| 16 | Dissemination of flood risk guidance and monitoring that emergency plans are in place for all caravan parks and businesses. | Essex County Council, local authorities in the SMP area | Complete | Low |
| 47 | Improve our understanding of coastal economics to inform decision making and provide evidence for funding and partnership work. | Coastal Initiative | Complete | Low |
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
Main report
Appendices
- Appendix A - SMP development
- Appendix B - Stakeholder engagement
- Appendix C - Baseline processes
- Appendix D - Thematic review
- Appendix E - Policy development and appraisal
- Appendix F - Shoreline interactions & responses
- Appendix G - Policy appraisal
- Appendix H - Economics
- Appendix I - Bibliographic database
- Appendix J - Sustainability appraisal signposting
- Appendix K - Water framework directive assessment
- Appendix L - Strategic environmental assessment (SEA)
- Appendix M - Habitats regulations assessment report
Changes and addendums
Non-technical summary
About this SMP
This Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) covers the coastline between Landguard Point at Felixstowe in Suffolk and Two Tree Island in Hadleigh Bay at Southend-on-Sea in Essex.
You can read the full SMP document by selecting the Download tab. This SMP was completed in 2010 and received formal adoption and sign off from relevant local authorities and the Environment Agency.
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:
- Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Council
- Chelmsford City Council
- Coast Partnership East
- Colchester City Council
- East Suffolk District Council
- Essex Coast Organisation
- Essex County Council
- Essex Wildlife Trust
- Ipswich Borough Council
- Maldon District Council
- Rochford District Council
- RSPB
- Southend-on-Sea City Council
- Stour and Orwell Estuary Management Group
- Suffolk County Council
- Tendring District Council
- English Heritage
- Environment Agency
- Natural England
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 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.