Lowestoft Ness
to Felixstowe Landguard Point
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. An SMP determines 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
develops 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.
This SMP was known previously as SMP Sub Cell 3C and is now named
SMP 7 due to a decision to renumber SMPs sequentially clockwise from the
North East.
The preparation of an SMP is the responsibility of the operating authorities
responsible for managing the coastline. In Suffolk these organisations
are Suffolk Coastal District Council, Waveney District, British Energy
and the Environment Agency – in association with Natural England
and Suffolk County Council.:
The first generation Shoreline Management Plan for the Suffolk coastline,
between Lowestoft and Felixstowe, was completed in 1998, covering a
length of coastline of approximately 72 km. This SMP is now being reviewed
by Royal Haskoning UK Ltd for Suffolk Coastal District Council as lead
authority for the operating authorities. Terry Oakes Associates Ltd
is project managing the development of the new SMP on behalf of SCDC.
The review was undertaken fully in accordance with and follow
the methods set out in the Government’s publication “Shoreline
Management Plans Guidance, Volumes 1 and 2. March 2006” (available
here).
A final version of the SMP Report was
approved for adoption by Suffolk Coastal District Council in February 2010,
the Environment Agency Flood Defence Committee and most recently by Waveney District Council in November 2010.
As
policies within the SMP will create adverse effects on sites of international nature
conservation importance, it was necessary to prepare a Statement of Case (SoC) for Imperative Reasons of
Overriding Public Interest (IROPI) for approval by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
This provides evidence that no feasible alternatives exist and that compensatory measures are secured.
The SoC was prepared by the Enviroment Agency during 2010 and approved locally in October 2010.
It was submitted to the Secretary of State for review and that process was concluded in
the summer of 2011.
Confirmation of approval of the SoC was provided within the final formal approval of the SMP by the EA's
Regional Director on 22nd August 2011. The SMP will be formally adopted by the operating authorities and published in late 2011.
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