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Holderness Coast

  • Holderness coast is on the northeast coast of England

  • Has the fastest rate of coastal erosion in Europe.

  • Cliffs which are 20 - 30m high are made of soft, glacial sands, gravels and boulder clay.

  • Retreating at a rate of more than 1m - 10m a year.

  • Sinces Roman times, the coast has retreated by 4km.

  • The coast is exposed to waves that are powerfully destructive from the northeast.

  • Eroded cliff material is carried out to sea which provides protection to the coastline.

  • Some of the material is carreid southwards by LSD and provides nourishment for Spurn head.

 

Mappleton

  • Under threat of erosion due to the erosion of cliffs

  • 1991 -- A coastal management scheme costing £2million was introduced

    • Two types of hard engineering:

      1. Placing rock armour along the base of the cliff

      2. Two rock groynes

  • This has lessened the threat of erosion at Mappleton

  • The rock groynes has prevented material being carried south from Mappleton along the coast. However, this has increased erosion in the south of Mappleton.

  • Increase threat of sea level rise due to climate change will accelerate the rate of coastal retreat

 

 

 

Processes along the Holderness coast
Retreat of the Holderness coast

What is Being Done to Protect the Area?

 

  • SMP – Shoreline Management Plan

    • Plan controlled by DEFRA

    • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • DEFRA supervises the scheme set up by local authorities

  • SMP – detailed assessment of coastal erosion risks

  • Principles of SMP – natural processes should not be interfered with unless necessary

 

Social Impacts

  • Homes at risk of collapsing

  • Property prices fallen

    • Risk of erosion

    • Uninsurable

  • Accessibility

    • Roads at risk

    • Collapse

  • Business at risk

    • Loss of jobs

    • Loss of income

  • Gas terminal at Easington

    • 25m off cliff edge

    • 25% UK gas supply

  • 80,000m2 of farmland lost

    • Farmers livelihood lost

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

SMP for Holderness 1998

 

  • Managed retreat

    • Hard sea defences do not work in the long run

      • Repaired regularly

    • Natural processes allowed to take their course

    • People affected paid compensation

    • Cheaper than hard engineering

    • 1998 House of Commons Agriculture Committee

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

Four Coastal Defence Options

  1. Do nothing

  2. Hold the existing line

  3. Advancing the line

  4. Managed retreat

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Environmental Impacts

  • Some SSSIs threatened

    • Lagoons nr Easington

    • Separated by a narrow strip of sand and shingle (bar)

    • If eroded lagoons would be destroyed

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