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Forward Planning
The Council undertakes forward planning relating to flood and coastal defence through the production of Shoreline Management Plans.
Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) are a nationally adopted process to determine sustainable local coastal defence policies, and to set objectives for the future management of the shoreline. Policies need to be sustainable with regard to the economy, society and the environment. It is a policy aimed at improving today's quality of life, without placing a burden on future generations or the natural world. The SMPs are based on the study of natural coastal processes and involve several stages of public consultation. Defra, NAW, the Environment Agency, local authorities and conservation bodies such as Natural England, English Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales have developed the national guidance for preparing SMPs. This guidance and the SMPs themselves are reviewed and updated regularly to take account of new ideas and information.
The objectives of SMPs are to
- improve our understanding of coastal processes
- work in partnership with all interested organisations and the public
- prepare a setting for the long term planning of coastal defences.
A national study identified a series of coastal cells, within which sediment movements are mainly self contained. The coast from Great Orme's Head to the Solway Firth is one such cell. Five sub-cell based SMPs have been produced for this sediment cell. The Wirral coast falls into the sub-cell for the Liverpool Bay SMP which extends from Great Orme's Head to Formby Point.
To learn about the Current Review of the Shoreline Management Plan click here
To view the Shoreline Management Plan for Liverpool Bay click here
To visit the Defra website for more information about Shoreline Management Plans, click here