Coastal Protection
Review and maintenance of coastal protection (sea walls etc.)
within the local authority area.
Our Coastline
The Borough of
Scarborough lies along a coastline of approximately 67km, (42
miles) Stretching from Staithes in the North to Speeton Cliffs in
the South, of which 15km (9.5 miles) of this coastline is defended
by either natural or man-made structures to protect it from the
aggressive North Sea environment. Our coastline has many areas
defined as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Heritage Coast
which underlines the unique character of the region.
Scarborough Borough
Council (SBC) does not have a legal obligation to protect any of
its coastline. However, under permissive powers, it routinely
carries out works of both a capital funded (i.e. through
applications for Grant Aid made to central Government, Defra and
The Environment Agency, under the terms of the 1949 Coast
Protection Act) and SBC revenue funded (i.e. from the Council's
main annual budget). The SBC revenue budget allows for the ongoing
maintenance of seawalls, promenades and coastal cliffs within the
Borough’s responsibility.
The Shoreline Management Plan 2
A Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) exists to
promote good and prudent management of the coastline. The overall
aim of the SMP is to set out a plan for a 100 year period
indicating how our coastline should be managed, taking into account
the wider implications on the neighbouring coastline and the
environment.
It provides a large-scale
assessment of the risks associated with coastal processes and
presents a policy framework to reduce these risks to people and the
developed, historic and natural environment in a sustainable manner
into the 22nd century.
The Shoreline Management
Plan 2 (SMP2) was completed in October 2007 and was developed in
conjunction with neighbouring coastal authorities. The SMP2 covers
the areas stretching from South Tyneside in the North to
Flamborough Head in the South. Scarborough Borough Council
undertook this project as lead authority.
North East SMP2
website: http://www.northeastsmp2.org.uk/
.
Capital Funded
Coast Protection Works
Scarborough Borough
Council has been pro-active and successful in attracting large
amounts of monies from Central Government (Defra/The
Environment Agency) to fund major coastal protection schemes in the
Borough.
Such Schemes have been
carried out as a result of Coastal Strategy studies and the SMP2
that has been undertaken by SBC. These studies have developed
Action Plans from which capital projects have evolved. For each
individual project it has been necessary to demonstrate to Defra
and/or The Environment Agency that they are technically sound,
economically viable, environmentally acceptable and sustainable.
Recently completed and current schemes/strategies/studies
include:
Complete Projects
- Runswick Bay, Completed in 2000 at a cost of
£2.7 million
- Robin Hoods Bay, Completed in 2001 at a cost
of £3 million
- Haggerlythe, Whitby, completed in 2001 at a
cost of £1.6 million
- Staithes Harbour & Cowbar, completed in
2005/6 at a cost of £3.5 million
- East Pier, Castle Headland and the Holms,
Scarborough, completed in 2005/6 at a cost of £51 million
- Cayton Bay Cliff Investigations, completed
April 2009, cost £276,500
- Whitby Strategy further studies, completed April 2009, cost
£319,000
Current Projects
- Whitby East Pier Urgent Works (on going)
estimated cost £1.8 million
- Robin Hood’s Bay Strategy Study (on going)
estimated cost £223,000
- Filey Ravines Catchment Flood Defence Works
(on going) estimate cost £226,000
- Filey Coastal Outflanking Study £117,000
- Filey Slope Study £200,000
- Scarborough Spa Coastal Defences Option
Appraisal (on going) estimated cost £560,000
- Pathfinder - Knipe Point Adaptation Pilot Project - current
budget £1,022,500
Borough Wide Coastal
Monitoring
In order to better
understand our coastline, monitoring equipment has been installed
at various locations within the Whitby, Scarborough and Filey
areas.
Some 60 piezometers (a
piezometer is a small diameter water well used to measure the
hydraulic head of groundwater in aquifers) and 30 Inclinometers (an
inclinometer is used to monitor slopes and landslides to detect
zones of movement and establish whether movement is constant,
accelerating, or responding to remedial measures) are monitored
regularly along with photographic surveys and crack monitoring.
This monitoring is undertaken by the SBC Coastal Team. SBC also
hold a list of reports on Ground Investigations undertaken on the
coastal strip.
The estimated capital
funded cost of this monitoring is £374,000 over three years. The
data once collected will aid and add knowledge to how we should
manage our local coastline now and in the future.
All local monitoring reports can be downloaded from the North
East Coastal Observatory website http://www.northeastcoastalobservatory.org.uk under the reports section.
Strategic Coastal
Monitoring
SBC is currently
undertaking a large three year coastal monitoring project on behalf
of authorities from the Scottish Borders down to Flamborough Head.
The monitoring project will involve various surveys at various
locations along the coastline. Some of the surveys undertaken will
include:
- Bathymetric Survey
- Aerial Photography Survey
- Cliff stability Survey
- Sea Bed sediment Survey
- Defence inspections
- Beach profile/Topographic survey
- Buoy deployment and data capture at Whitby
and Newbiggin Bay
The estimated capital funded cost of this
monitoring is £1.4 Million. The data once collected will aid and
add knowledge to how we should manage our coastline now and in the
future.
Related Documents
Cayton Bay Cliff Stability Assessment, Ground Investigation and
Appraisal of Engineering Stabilisation Options, April 2008, Halcrow
Group Limited. (Knipe Point, SCB Report number 240) can be
downloaded below:
External Website Links
Contact Details
Stewart Rowe (Principal Coastal Officer)
Technical Services
Projects Unit
Scarborough Borough Council
Town Hall
St. Nicholas Street
Scarborough
North Yorkshire
Additional Contact Details
Robin Siddle (Senior Coastal Officer)
Technical Services
Projects Unit
Scarborough Borough Council
Town Hall
St. Nicholas Street
Scarborough
North Yorkshire
Katherine Masser (Coastal Officer)
Technical Services
Projects Unit
Scarborough Borough Council
Town Hall
St. Nicholas Street
Scarborough
North Yorkshire
Office Hours
- 8.30am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday
Local Council Service Identifier: 848