The White Cliffs: Oldstairs Bay to South Foreland 5
General actions for this subsection
There are no actions generic to the whole of this subsection. For 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.
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 Process Understanding
- Appendix C- No Active Intervention Maps
- Appendix D- Designations Maps
- Appendix D- Strategic Environmental Assessment
- Appendix E- Issues and Objectives Evaluation
- Appendix F- Initial Policy Appraisal and Scenario Development
- Appendix G- Scenario Testing
- Appendix H- Economic and Sensitivity Testing
- Appendix I- Metadatabase
- Appendix J- Habitats Regulations Assessment
- Appendix K- Retrospective Water Framework Directive Assessment
About this subsection
At Oldstairs Bay, south of Deal and Kingsdown, chalk cliffs become a prominent feature of the coastline and these continue down beyond South Foreland Lighthouse, where the SMP terminates.
The chalk cliffs are internationally important for their geological, environmental and landscape interest, and mark the beginning of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The wave cut chalk shore platform at the base of the cliffs is also important for its coastal wildlife, geology, and maritime heritage. They are therefore legally protected up to the port of Dover.
The coast on this stretch is largely undeveloped, except for the former Ministry of Defence Rifle Range at the base of the cliffs south of Oldstairs Bay, and the cliff top village of St. Margaret’s Bay. Defences have stopped erosion but elsewhere the chalk cliffs are slowly eroding and supply a limited amount of beach-forming material to the nearby shoreline.