In 1994 the Coastal Groups and local authorities of England & Wales were encouraged by Government to adopt the concept of Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs), with a view to providing a more strategic and sustainable approach to coastal defence.
The first local SMP (SMP1) was produced in 1999. SMP2, published late October 2010, was the first review of that document. SMP2 promotes management policies for our coastline for 20, 50 and 100 years; providing a timeline for objectives, policy and management changes; i.e. a ‘route map’ for decision makers to move from the present situation towards the future.
A 2017 SMP review by the Environment Agency found nearly a third of management policies contained in them require attention, of which about half may be undeliverable as they stand. An ‘SMP Refresh’ commenced in 2019, using a series of review and development activities to make sure the Plans are up to date, reliable and visible, and ensure onward maintenance is easier. The SMP Refresh will ensure SMPs are and remain ‘living’ documents.
Poole and Christchurch Bays SMP covers the 190km (118 miles) of open coast, harbours, estuaries and headlands between Durlston Head in the west and Hurst Spit to the east, and includes the coastal communities of Swanage, Studland, Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Highcliffe, Barton-on-Sea and Milford-on-Sea.
The SMP was prepared by a Client Steering Group (CSG) comprising representatives from:
- New Forest District Council
- Christchurch Borough Council, Bournemouth Borough Council and Borough of Poole (now collectively BCP Council)
- Purbeck District Council (now part of Dorset County Council)
- Environment Agency
Also on the CSG were five associate partners:
- Natural England
- National Trust
- Dorset County Council
- Hampshire County Council
- Poole Harbour Commissioners
The CSG commissioned consultant engineers Royal Haskoning to prepare the SMP. Funding was provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The Plan divides this length of coastline into four ‘Policy Development Zones’ (PDZs). PDZ boundaries are not recognised as hard lines, but solely as a practical means of examining the coast in detail. Within the PDZs individual Policy Units have been developed.
It goes on to identify one of four shoreline management policies for each Policy Unit:
- Hold the Line – maintain / upgrade / replace coastal defences in their current position where funding permits.
- Managed Realignment – manage coastal processes to realign the ‘natural’ coastline configuration, either seaward or landward of its present position.
- No Active Intervention (do nothing) – a decision not to invest in providing or maintaining defences or management of the coast.
- Advance the Line – a decision to build new defences seaward of the existing defence line where significant land reclamation is considered.
With the UK's shoreline being innn a constant state of change for millions of years, sometimes gradually, sometimes dramatically, these changes have created some of the coast’s most beautiful and important features. Over the next century the forecast is for more frequent storms, increasing wave heights and rainfall, and rising sea levels. All pose a threat to the coastal environment and the livelihoods of the people who live and work in these areas. Shoreline management planning is ongoing, evolving and requires partnership working to deliver successful outcomes.