8 Sker Point to Swansea Docks

Lavernock Point to St Ann’s Head SMP2 Main Document Policy Statement – Sker Point to Swansea Docks (8) Sker Point to Swansea Docks (8) Recommendations: Long Term Plan This frontage comprises the heavily developed and modified shores of Port Talbot and the Neath Estuary, with various revetments, defences, breakwaters and structures associated with the Port of Port Talbot. Prior to development this coastline would have been characterised by extensive sand dune systems, although only two dune areas remain, Kenfig Burrows and Margam Burrows (to the south of Port Talbot) and the smaller Crymlyn Burrows (to the north of the Neath Estuary). The plan is to continue to manage the risk of coastal erosion and flooding to industrial, residential, non-residential, commercial and amenity assets along the coast, whilst enabling natural evolution of the dunes. There are significant linkages and interdependencies along this frontage and its future evolution, will be dependent upon future management strategies for Port Talbot steelworks, the Port of Port Talbot and the Neath Estuary, which includes the Port of Neath and various leisure functions. Location (Policy Unit) Preferred SMP2 policy and approach to implementing the Plan 0-20 years 20-50 years 50-100 years 8.1 Sker Point to Afon A policy of managed realignment is proposed to allow this largely undeveloped extensive dune system to respond Cynfig (Kenfig and and evolve naturally with minimal interference. This will enable long term habitat management and introduction of Margam Burrows) measures to manage and control recreational pressures. There is little risk of breach or adverse impact on the wider shoreline or hinterland. 8.2 Port Talbot steelworks The policy is to hold the line , maintaining and upgrading existing defences (privately funded) in response to future climate change/ sea level rise as required. This will continue to manage the risk of coastal erosion and flooding to the industrial area and minimise the risk of potentially contaminated material from being released into the coastal zone. 8.3 Port of Port Talbot The policy is to hold the line , maintaining and upgrading the existing defences (privately funded) as required to (including River Avan) ensure that the risk of coastal erosion and flooding to the industrial area is managed. The maintenance and upgrading of structures and operations associated with the Port of Port Talbot (breakwaters and maintenance dredging) is the responsibility of the port authority. Port structures are not considered by the SMP, since they do not comprise coastal erosion and risk management measures. However since port structures provide a defence function it has been assumed that they will be maintained throughout the period of the SMP. 8.4 Port of Port Talbot to The policy is hold the line , maintaining, upgrading and replacing defences in response to future climate change/ sea Baglan Burrows level rise, subject to the availability of public funding for coastal erosion and flood risk management. There are a (Aberavon Beach) large number of socio-economic assets at risk from coastal erosion and flooding along this frontage along with the risk that potentially contaminated fill could be released into the coastal zone. 8.5 Baglan Burrows The policy of managed realignment will enable the dune system to function naturally, with minimal interference and monitoring, with the option to construct a secondary set back defence if there is a risk of the dunes breaching. This will minimise the risk of coastal erosion and flooding to hinterland assets, including a power station, industrial area and potentially contaminated land. 8.6 Neath Estuary Maintain and upgrade existing defences under a policy of hold the line to minimise the risk of coastal erosion and flooding to assets and to manage the risk of potentially contaminated fill from being released in the estuary and coastal system. The maintenance and upgrading of structures and operations associated with the Port of Neath (training walls, maintenance dredging of the navigation channel and deposition of dredged material in areas within the Estuary adjacent to the navigation channel) is the responsibility of the port authority and it has been stated that these will be managed in future to ensure that the port and other leisure functions are maintained. Port structures are not addressed by the SMP, since they do not comprise coastal erosion and risk management measures, but have been included for completeness. 8.7 Crymlyn Burrows (River This is a largely undeveloped dune system, which also affords some protection to the nature conservation site of Neath to Former BP Crymlyn Bog. To allow this largely undeveloped extensive dune system to respond and evolve naturally, a long term tank farm) policy of managed realignment is proposed. This will enable long term habitat management and introduction of measures, as necessary, to control recreational pressures and also to manage any potential risk to the A483, which runs behind the dunes. 8.8 Former BP tank farm The short term policy is to hold Assuming that the Bay Science and Innovation Campus development is the line by maintaining existing progressed in the medium/ long term, this will involve the construction of new defences, whilst defences along this frontage under a policy of hold the line , following decontamination of the site is decontamination of the site and subject to obtaining the necessary consents, completed in advance of the licences and approvals. It is unlikely that these defences would attract public proposed Bay Science and coastal erosion and flood risk management funding. Innovation Campus In advance of the development studies will need to be undertaken to identify the development. It is unlikely that potential impacts of the development on the adjacent environmentally maintenance of existing designated area of Crymlyn Burrows and potential impacts of future climate defences would attract public change in order to develop suitable mitigation measures. The potential risk of coastal erosion and flood risk outflanking of the development following failure of the existing defences along management funding, due to the frontage to the west (between the development and Swansea Docks) also the limited number of socio- needs to be considered and addressed. economic assets which are currently at risk. A review of the impacts of the preferred SMP2 policies on coastal evolution and behaviour is provided in Appendix E: Policy Development and Appraisal, Section E1.3. Policy sensitivities and key uncertainties (further detail is included in Appendix K) All units: the interlinkages along this frontage mean that most of the shoreline would be sensitive to changes in the Neath Estuary, either natural or due to modifications in how the estuary is managed. PS8-1 Lavernock Point to St Ann’s Head SMP2 Main Document Policy Statement – Sker Point to Swansea Docks (8) Policy unit 8.1 – although the policy is unlikely to change, the long term risk to the M4 motorway, if the dunes become significantly more mobile, should be considered. Policy unit 8.2 - the policy is sensitive to future private investment in maintaining and improving defences along the Port Talbot steelworks industrial site, if existing defences are allowed to fail there is a risk of potentially contaminated fill being eroded and released into the coastal zone. Policy unit 8.3 – hold the line involves continued maintenance and upgrading of structures (breakwaters) and operations (maintenance dredging of navigation channel) for the Port of Port Talbot, which is subject to future management plans for these ports, future investment and the availability of private funding, since these structures/ operations are not covered by public funding of coastal erosion and flood risk management. Policy units 8.4 and 8.5 – maintaining and upgrading existing defences (in response to future climate change/ sea level rise) is subject to the future availability of public funding for coastal erosion and flood risk management. Along these frontages the cost of implementing the preferred policy could be sensitive to future climate change (sea level rise, increased storminess) which would affect exposure of defences, and also result in changes to the sediment regime. The sediment regime could be affected by changes in management practices elsewhere within Swansea Bay (e.g. maintenance dredging of navigation channnels) and bathymetric changes. Policy unit 8.6 – hold the line involves continued maintenance and upgrading of structures (training walls) and operations (maintenance dredging of the navigation channel) for the Port of Neath, which is subject to future management plans for this port, future investment and the availability of private funding, since these structures/ operations are not covered by public funding of coastal erosion and flood risk management. It has been assumed that training walls would be maintained/ improved and regular maintenance dredging of the navigation channel undertaken. Without maintenance the training walls would be expected to continue to fail in the short-term (0-20 years). It is likely they would continue to have some influence beyond this as they are substantial structures which would degrade slowly. Ultimately, however, the channel could break through and be free to meander across the intertidal zone, potentially impacting on the adjacent shorelines, policy units 8.5 and 8.7, and it is therefore recommended that the feasibility of these policy options is reviewed as part of the

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