Jncc coastal Directories Project Region 11 The Western Approaches

They are based on coastal sub-cells and are compiled in
accordance with government guidelines on assessing the
environmental impacts of proposals, including soft defence
and ‘do nothing’ options, to be produced in association with
and grant aided by MAFF (
Table 10.2.1
).  Each is managed
by a Shoreline Management Group, which comprises the
lead authority, other local authority partners within the
coastal sub-cell, the Environment Agency, English Nature,
MAFF and any other important maritime local organisations.
Such groups are also known as Coastal Engineering Groups.
The Lizard Point to Land’s End SMP, one of the first to
get underway, is engineering-led, seeking to address sea
defence and coastal protection at a strategic scale; English
Nature has let an additional contract to collate nature
conservation information and draft nature conservation
objectives for the study area.
10.2.8  Local Environment Action Plans
River catchments, including estuaries and coastal waters,
are the Environment Agency’s basic water management
unit.  The Environment Agency is building on the success of
the former NRA Catchment Management Plans to provide
integrated plans covering all the agency’s functions - Local
Environment Action Plans (LEAPs).  These deal with a wide
range of environmental issues, environmental protection
and enhancement of water, land and air.  A LEAP is an
agreed strategy to realise the environmental potential of the
catchment, within prevailing economic and political
constraints.  River catchments are shown on 
Map 10.2.1
.
Table 10.2.2
gives the Environment Agency’s Welsh, South-
western and Midlands Regions’ programmes for the
completion of consultation reports for LEAPs in Region 11
(NRA 1994).  LEAPs are prepared by the Environment
Agency for each catchment once consultation has been
completed.
10.2.9  Designated sites
Site designations are discussed in detail in 
Chapter 7
.
However, several statutory and non-statutory designations
are also relevant here because they provide a degree of
coastal management through their area or site management
plans.  These often tend to focus strongly on the
conservation of landscapes, buildings and/or habitats and
species, rather than on wider and more integrated coastal
issues, although in management planning for some sites a
focus on visitor use and community involvement is
Region 11  Chapter 10  Coastal management
248
Table 10.2.1  
State of progress of Shoreline Management Plans in the region
Coastal cell
Cell no.
Status of SMP
Lead authority
Rame Head to Lizard Point
6d
In progress
EA and Caradon Council
Lizard Point to Land’s End
6e
Complete
EA and Penwith Council
Land’s End to Trevose Head
7a
In progress
EA and Caradon Council
Trevose Head to Hartland Point
7b
In progress
EA and Caradon Council
Hartland Point to Morte Point
7c
In progress
EA and West Somerset Council
Morte Point to Sand Bay
7d
In progress
EA and West Somerset Council
Sand Bay to Sharpness
7e
In progress
EA and Cardiff Council
Wellhouse to Lavernock Point
8a
In progress
EA and Cardiff Council
Lavernock Point to Worms Head
8b
In progress
Ogwr Council
Source: MAFF
Reg
ion
10
5°W
Region 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
15
11 No plan
Environment Agency
Local Environment
Action Plans (LEAPs)
9
LEAPs published
1
Consultation report
Map 10.2.1
River catchment areas for Local Environment Action
Plans.  Source: Environment Agency; reproduced by
kind permission.
important.  Designated sites include reserves managed by
English Nature, CCW, wildlife trusts, local authorities, the
RSPB or other bodies for nature conservation objectives,
Heritage Coasts (see below) and proposed marine Special
Areas for Conservation (see also 
section 7.1
).  
Heritage Coasts
The defined areas of Heritage Coasts include only the finest
sections of undeveloped coast (
section 7.4.3
).  Most Heritage
Coast Services (management teams working from within local
authorities) are producing or implementing management
plans through their respective local authorities and
associated Steering Groups (see also 
section 10.2.2
).  There
are twelve Heritage Coasts in the region (see 
Table 10.3.1
).  
The National Trust
The National Trust, which has extensive coastal land holdings
in the region (see 
section 7.5.1
), has recently been carrying out
a complete review of its Coastal Strategy Plans and has a
review ongoing of coastal site management plans.  It has
produced a Coastal strategy for Wales (National Trust 1995),
which provides guidance for the acquisition of coastal sites
under Enterprise Neptune and for responses to coastal issues.  
Marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) 
Under the EC Habitats & Species Directive 1992, a list of
marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to be
designated in the UK must be agreed by the UK

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Government and the European Commission by 1998 (see
section 7.2.4
).  Marine SACs may include intertidal areas
and/or subtidal areas; terrestrial SACs may include
important coastal maritime habitats such as lagoons,
saltmarshes or sand dunes.  A list of 280 possible marine
and terrestrial sites was published in March 1995; of these
112 were coastal and 37 were selected, in whole or in part,
for their marine habitats and/or species.  Consultations are
being carried out for all possible sites; meanwhile, all sites
on the published list should be managed, on a voluntary
basis, as though they were already designated.  Under the
Directive, marine and terrestrial SACs will have to be
managed in a way that secures their ‘favourable
conservation status’.  A range of bodies and individuals will
be involved, including all ‘relevant and competent
authorities’, e.g. local authorities, the Environment Agency,
ports and harbour authorities, Sea Fisheries Committees,
English Nature and the Countryside Council for Wales, as
well as owners and occupiers of foreshore land and
representatives of those who rely on marine areas for their
livelihood or for recreation.  Management will be
coordinated through an agreed management scheme,
backed by existing statutory measures, as appropriate.  The
Department of the Environment have prepared draft
guidelines for the preparation and application of
management schemes for marine SACs, which were
published in March 1996 for consultation (DoE 1996).  At the
instigation of the Scottish Office, the four country nature
conservation agencies are preparing a generic management
model for marine SACs, giving an overview of how
schemes of management should develop.
10.2.10  Esturiales
Esturiales is a European Association of elected local
authority representatives (municipal or regional), together
with experts or non-elected officials.  It aims to achieve
sustainable development in estuaries by upgrading the
environment, facilitating port economy and restructuring
historic ports, and assisting the implementation and
development of EU objectives as specified in the
environmental programme and/or coastal zone
management proposals.  Actions and studies are undertaken
jointly.  The economy and environment of the Severn
Estuary was the subject of one of the original case studies
carried out in 1991.  A Forum and strategic framework for
integrated management have arisen from this study.
10.2  National coastal initiatives with regional elements
249
10.2.2  
Local Environment Action Plans timetable
No. on
Catchment area
Current status of LEAP
Contact
Map 10.2.1
1
Fal
In preparation
EA South western Region
2
Cober & South Cornwall
In preparation
EA South western Region
3
Hayle & Red River
In preparation
EA South western Region
4
Gannel & Camel
In preparation
EA South western Region
5
North Cornwall Coast, Strat & Neet
In preparation
EA South western Region
6
Abbey River & Clovelly Stream
In preparation
EA South western Region
7
Taw-Torridge Estuary 
LEAP available 
EA South western Region
8
Taw
In preparation
EA South western Region
9
North Devon coastal & Lyn
In preparation
EA South western Region
10
West Somerset Rivers
In preparation
EA South western Region
11
Isle, Yeo, Cary & Parrett
In preparation
EA South western Region
12
Brue, Sheppey & Hartlake
In preparation
EA South western Region
13
North Somerset Rivers
In preparation
EA South western Region
14
Lower Bristol Avon
LEAP available 
EA South western Region
15
Severnside
LEAP available 
EA Midlands Region
16
Lower Wye
LEAP available 
EA Wales Region
17
Usk
LEAP available 
EA Wales Region
18
Ebbw
In preparation
EA Wales Region
19
Rhymney
Consultation report available
EA Wales Region
20
Taff
LEAP available 
EA Wales Region
21
Ely 
LEAP available 
EA Wales Region
22
Thaw
In preparation
EA Wales Region
23
Ogmore
LEAP available 
EA Wales Region
24
Afan & Kenfig
LEAP available 
EA Wales Region

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