Swansea Bay Coastal Engineering Group SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PLAN - Plan Document (8b) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Swansea Bay Coastal Engineering Group SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PLAN Sub-Cell 8b : Lavernock Point to Worm’s Head PLAN DOCUMENT (Volume 4) MARCH 2001 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS Page No. 1.0 BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 OBJECTIVES 6 3.0 THE FORM OF MANAGEMENT UNIT & POLICY ASSESSMENT 9 3.1 Management Unit Assessment 9 3.2 Coastal Policy Options & Assessments 12 4.0 MANAGEMENT UNIT APPRAISALS 16 4.1 A Review of Coastal Process Unit Appraisal 16 4.2 Management Units 25 5.0 PLAN USE & DEVELOPMENT 338 5.1 Plan Usage 338 5.2 Monitoring 340 5.3 Studies 344 5.4 Plan Review Procedure & Updating 353 5.5 Overall Shoreline Management Plan Recommendations 354 6.0 PLAN SUMMARY 355 APPENDICES A RELEVANT PLANNING POLICIES B DRAFT MONITORING PROPOSAL _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Shoreline Management Partnership GUIDANCE ON USE OF THE SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PLAN 1. The Shoreline Management Plan comprises four separate volumes, as follows : VOLUME 1 Data Collation Report VOLUME 2 Context Report VOLUME 3 Consultation Reports VOLUME 4 Shoreline Management Plan 2. The Data Collation Report is held by the following organisations : S Associated British Ports S Bridgend County Borough Council S British Petroleum S City & County of Swansea S Countryside Council for Wales S Environment Agency S Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council S Vale of Glamorgan Council The report contains background information not needed for normal use of the Shoreline Management Plan. 2. The Context Report provides a digest of relevant data to support the Shoreline Management Plan and will normally be available as a companion to the SMP report. 3. A user interested in the form of the SMP and procedures used in its development should refer to the Shoreline Management Plan and read the document in the normal way. A user interested in the SMP policies for specific locations should refer to the same document and follow the procedure set out below and summarised by block diagram overleaf : (i) Go to Section 3 “Form of Management Unit & Policy Assessment” of the Shoreline Management Plan. (ii) Refer to the Coastal Process Unit (CPU) Plan, location listings and “Management Units” (MU) Figure 1 (Section 3) and identify the CPU and MU relevant to the zone of interest. (iii) Go to the relevant Management Unit in Section 4. (iv) Each Management Unit is considered against a fixed format comprising three parts : A. Objectives, Issues and Statutory Details B. Benefits and Cost Appraisal C. Strategic Policy Appraisal Direct reference to Part C will provide a summary of the policy rationale presented in a matrix format followed by the preferred policy definition and associated issues. (v) The Shoreline Management Plan includes summaries for the whole plan area in respect of studies and monitoring in Sections 5 and 6. (vi) Refer to the Context Report for supporting information both strategically and local to the point or zone of interest in respect of coastal processes, coastal defences, natural environment and the human and built environment. VOLUME 4 : Section 3 Plan Wide Plan VOLUME 4 : Section 4 Coastal Process Unit Management Unit A B C Objectives Strategic Policy Issues Benefits Cost Appraisal Appraisal Statutory Details Matrix Summary of Policy Rationale Preferred Policy Definition and associated Issues Associated Monitoring / Studies VOLUME 4 : Section 5 and 6 Plan Summaries - Studies - Monitoring - Potential Works Investment Programme Context Report (VOLUME 2) - Coastal Processes - Coastal Defences - Natural Environment - Human & Built Environment - Development and Land Use Swansea Bay Coastal Engineering Group SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PLAN - Plan Document (8b) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1.0 BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION The shoreline of England and Wales was examined by HR Wallingford (HR Report Mapping of Littoral Cells, Jan 1993) to provide initial guidance on suitable divisions of the coastline, within which a strategic framework for the development of sustainable polices for coastal defences could be identified, based on natural process behaviour. The South and South West Wales coastline was identified as a major cell (Denoted as Cell 8) extending from St David’s Head to the mouth of the River Severn (Wellhouse). Within this cell four sub-cells were identified as follows: S Sub-cell 8a Wellhouse to Lavernock Point S Sub-cell 8b Lavernock Point to Worms Head (Overlap to Penarth Head) S Sub-cell 8c Worms Head to St Govans Head (Amended to St Anns Head) S Sub-cell 8d St Govans Head (Amended to St Anns Head) to St David’s Head In order to provide the framework for sustainable future coastal defence, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food and National Assembly for Wales have required those bodies with a statutory responsibility for the provision of coastal defence to produce Shoreline Management Plans for their particular area, in accordance with guidelines laid down (MAFF / Welsh Office Publication `SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PLANS - A Guide for Coastal Defence Authorities’ 1995, refers). Shoreline Management Plans have been promoted by coastal engineering groups and the relevant coastal engineering group for this plan is the Swansea Bay Coastal Engineering Group (SBCEG). The specific objectives of the Plan are : “ to improve understanding of the coastal processes operating within the sediment cell or sub-cell and their influence on the shoreline; “ to predict the likely future evolution of the coast; “ to identify all the assets within the area covered by the Plan which are likely to be affected by coastal change including the developed and natural environment, amenity, leisure facilities and other infrastructure; “ to identify the need for regional or site specific research and investigations; “ to facilitate consultation between those bodies with an interest in the shoreline; “ to assess a range of coastal defence policy options; “ to define future monitoring requirements, management of data and research related to the shoreline; “ to inform the statutory planning process and related coastal zone planning; “ to identify opportunities for maintaining & enhancing the natural coastal environment; “ to set objectives for the future management of the shoreline; “ to set out arrangements for continued consultation with interested parties _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Shoreline Management Partnership 1 Swansea Bay Coastal Engineering Group SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PLAN - Plan Document (8b) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Plan preparation needs to address the following four key issues which have been identified in the guidelines. These are: S Coastal processes; S Natural environment; S The human and built environment; S Coastal defence Prior to the preparation of Plans local coastal defence authorities, the Environment Agency and other bodies with an interest in management of the shoreline had formed groups to facilitate exchange of information. These `coastal groups’ acting as informal partnerships between the various bodies became the vehicle for promotion of the Shoreline Management Plans. Within Cell 8 there are three Groups as follows : The Severn Estuary Coastal Group : Wellhouse to Lavernock Point The Swansea Bay Coastal Engineering Group : Lavernock Point to Worms Head The Carmarthen Bay Coastal Engineering Group : Worms Head to St Anns Head This document relates to the preparation of a Shoreline Management Plan for sub-cell 8b which extends from Lavernock Point to Worms Head. The Swansea Bay Coastal Engineering Group decided to acknowledge the shoreline extending east to Penarth Head and relevant information from the Severn Estuary Plan has been acquired. The Coastal Group promoting and financing the Plan (assisted by grant-aid from National Assembly) are as follows: Lead Authority : City and County of Swansea (CCS) Group Members : Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) : Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) : Vale of Glamorgan Council (VOGC) : Environment Agency (EA) : Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) : Associated British Ports (ABP) : BP Chemical (Baglan) (BP) : Corus (formally British Steel, Port Talbot) - Corrus has withdrawn membership. Observers : Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT) : National Assembly for Wales (NAW - formally Welsh Office - WO) Preparation of the Plan for sub-cell 8b commenced in late 1997 and in accordance with guidelines published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and Welsh Office (WO/ NAW). The elements and sequence of plan production are outlined as follows : STAGE 1 Data Collation and Objective Setting The aim of Stage 1 was to gather information on the key issues to enable objectives to be set and initial division of the shoreline to be defined. At this stage only previously collected data was available, although the need for any additional data desirable for the development of the Plan was highlighted. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Shoreline Management Partnership