Issue - meetings

Since the late 19^th century we have been building coastal defences along the shoreline at the base of the cliff to prevent coastal erosion. However, whilst the introduction and evolution of coastal defences along the base of the cliffs have been very successful in stopping coastal erosion by marine action, they were not successful in stopping cliff instability landwards of the coastal defences.

Consequently, borough engineers between the 1950s to 1990s undertook extensive cliff stabilisation works and ongoing maintenance of a variety of engineering measures. However, from the 1990s onwards, due to a loss of knowledge/experience as engineers left the local authorities and were not replaced, combined with a reduction in funding, the approach to cliff stabilisation works has been much more one of reacting to events rather than proactively intervening with cliff stabilisation works and maintaining those systems installed in the period 1950s-1990s.

In recognition of the  challenges of cliff instability, since 2022 the South West Flood & Coastal team have been leading the development of a new BCP Cliff Management Strategy (CMS) which aims to provide a single, consistent and integrated approach to managing each section of cliff along the BCP coast, such that decisions made by various service areas in BCP Council are based on a common understanding of the risks posed by future cliff erosion and instability which arise from a range of factors including the impacts of climate change. The CMS is due to complete by March 2026 and the paper provides details on what it will produce.

After March 2026, there will need to be funding provided to enable the ongoing maintenance of the new systems and processes established by the CMS. In addition, there will be a  need to provide funding for both maintenance of the various cliff management systems across the BCP coast and, in places, the construction of new cliff stabilisation works where we continue to have cliff slips and falls – such as at West Cliff.