Chance to have a say in how to manage global warming threat to coastal areas

RESIDENTS of West Somerset are being invited make their views known on the future of shoreline management.
The district council is looking at devising a plan to manage the risks and help protect more homes and businesses in future.
A consultation on behalf of the North Devon and Somerset Coastal Authorities Group (NDASCAG) is currently being run by the Environment Agency in an area stretching from Hartland Point, in Devon, to Weston-super-Mare, in North Somerset.
It is part of a review of a 10-year-old strategy for managing flooding and erosion along the coast due to be completed in 2010.
The management plan will provide large-scale assessments of flooding and coastal erosion and their associated risks, with options for dealing with the risks posed to people and the environment.
Former chairman of Exmoor National Park Authority, Humphrey Temperley, who is now the NDASCAG and also Wessex Regional Flood Defence Committee chairman, said: “The coastline is going to come under increasing pressure over the coming years from sea level rise and increased storms due to climate change.
“We need to plan now for changes in the future. It is important that local people take part in the consultation. This is their chance to have their say.
“Climate change and sea level rise pose significant challenges. The Government spends large amounts of money every year trying to minimise the risk of coastal flooding and erosion.
“Because of the diverse coastline, the same approach cannot be used in all locations and we have to develop approaches that are appropriate to the area at risk.”
The NDASCAG is currently compiling a list of people and organisations which might be interested in being involved with the consultation process.
The aim is to compile a list of these stakeholders and then send out further details to them of the next stage.
For more information and to register as a stakeholder online, people can visit the website www.ndascag.org.

• Our photograph shows a typical summer scene on Minehead beach. Photo submitted.