Fairbourne Moving Forward 2.04

What is the Shoreline Management Plan (2) and how is this relevant to Fairbourne?

On 20th October 21014, Carl Sargeant, Minister for Natural Resources agreed the West of Wales Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), with the caveat that the situation at Fairbourne is constantly monitored. He has also agreed to send a letter to Natural Resources Wales and the Chair of the Coastal Group, accepting the plan.

What is the Shoreline Management Plan?
A Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) is a non-statutory policy document for coastal flood and erosion risk management planning. It takes account of other existing planning initiatives and legislative requirements and is intended to inform wider strategic planning. The SMP does not set policy for anything other than coastal flood and erosion risk management.

The Shoreline Management Plan promotes management policies for the coastline into the 22nd Century to achieve long term objectives, while being technically sustainable, environmentally acceptable and economically viable. Taking into account the forecasts of increasing risks due to climate change impacts, an SMP provides an approach for meeting objectives through appropriate management change, ie, a ‘route map’ for decision-makers to move from the present situation towards the future.

The objectives of the SMP must be set out in accordance with the Government’s strategy for managing risks from floods and coastal erosion and will help to ensure that the SMP promotes sustainable development, with respect to people, the human and natural environment. Therefore the objectives must:

• Set out the risks from flooding and erosion to people and the developed historic and natural environment within the SMP area

• Identify opportunities to maintain and improve the environment by managing the risks from floods and coastal erosion

• Identify the preferred policies for managing risks from floods and erosion over the next century

• Identify the consequences of putting the preferred policies into practice

• Set out procedures for monitoring how effective these policies are;

• Inform others so that future land use, planning and development of the shoreline takes account of the risks and the preferred policies;

• Discourage inappropriate development in areas where the flood and erosion risks are high; and

• Meet international and national nature conservation legislation and aim to achieve the biodiversity objectives.



How is this relevant to Fairbourne?

Back in January 2013 Gwynedd Council adopted the findings of the West of Wales Shoreline Management Plan (WoW SMP2) and approved the Action Plan, including actions to address the issues raised by the SMP recommendations with respect to the village of Fairbourne. The Council, in adopting the WoW SMP2 findings, recognised the significant challenges raised by and discussed within the SMP document and resolved to take actions necessary to examine in further detail the issues raised, with the aim to develop a Management Plan

The initial premise of the project recognised the need to maintain existing defences and reduce flood risk to the area in the short term. However, any major increase in protection, with respect to dealing with groundwater, flooding from rivers and flooding as a direct result of rainfall, or the risk associated with coastal change and increased risk of wave overtopping, particularly as the effects of climate change occur and as sea level rises, starts to create an unsustainable
approach to management. This could lead to significant residual risk and the possibility of a catastrophic failure and flooding should the standard of defence be exceeded or any part of the defence system fail. It is for these reasons that the SMP2 recommends moving away from defence over the next 30 to 60 years, with the consequential managed loss of the village and the need for relocation. There is little or no opportunity for adaptation, in the traditional meaning, in terms of defence or local protection to property, with no opportunity for roll back of the community. Adaptation, in the case of Fairbourne, has to consider the immediate problems raised by acknowledging the time limitation on sustaining the village, the progressive adaptation in attitude and planning for the future and ultimately how people in the village are able to relocate.

This makes Fairbourne different to many other areas facing similar increasing risk from flooding and erosion. If not defended, the village as a whole would be lost. While the situation at Fairbourne is at present quite unusual, it is and will not in the future be unique. As such, and while recognising that the project must focus on the challenges faced by the community of Fairbourne, the project raises many issues that need to be examined at a broader scale, offering the opportunity to learn from, discuss and resolve approaches to future sustainable management of coastal risk around the Welsh coastline, potentially also offering an example of management internationally.


What is Fairbourne: Moving Forward all about?

The project is based on certain core principles.

• In the future it will not be sustainable to defend Fairbourne in terms of flood defence. The best estimate at present is that this point occurs in 40 to 50 years’ time (2052 – 2062). The range of uncertainty is considered to be between 2042 and 2072. This is based on the initial estimate of critical sea level rise of 0.5m.

• Notwithstanding the above uncertainty, the Project, in discussion with the community, has set an intent to maintain defence to the village for a period of 40 years (with a base date of 2014)².

It is intended, through the project, to manage this process of change so that:

• The community remains a viable community over the period of sustainability, providing a secure place to live.
• Individuals within the community are not disadvantaged and are treated equitably.
• Businesses within the community continue to thrive, without constraining future change.
• The basic infrastructure and services are maintained.
• Fairbourne continues to contribute to the sustainable economic development of Gwynedd.

But that these principles are taken forward in the expectation and anticipating longer term change.

As change becomes necessary, to seek:

• To develop and enhance the natural environment.
• To provide long term opportunity for sustainable use of the area.

In support of these principles, the aims of the project are to:

• Build upon the evidence of physical change providing greater confidence in predictions of when change will be necessary.

• To clearly define the present day and future risk.

• To develop on the present understanding of critical aspects of the risk management system such that these may continue to be managed effectively.

• To build an understanding of the social and community structure such that this may be supported during the period of sustainability.

• To use this in identifying present day and future vulnerabilities which will need to be managed as change occurs.

• To identify planning policy and social services to support the community now and to allow future change.

• To develop an on-going communication strategy.

• To develop an on-going plan for supporting the community.

As the project develops, the scope and extent of the project may increase as issues are resolved or as further consequences are identified. In this the project intends to:

• Maintain a record of project progress, identifying lessons learnt and tasks completed. Identify and address issues arising from further development of the project.

• Draw upon research and examples from other areas in developing how the situation at Fairbourne is managed.

• Encouraging and support research into broader scale issues identified as part of the project.