Purpose

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
(BCP) and New Forest District Council (NFDC) are working together
with the Environment Agency to produce a new strategy to protect
coastal communities from tidal flooding and erosion risk. It will
guide how the frontage from Hengistbury Head to Hurst Spit,
encompassing Christchurch Harbour, will be sustainably managed for
the next 100 years.

Content

RESOLVED that: -

(a)   
Cabinet approve and adopt
the Christchurch Bay & Harbour Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk
Management (FCERM) Strategy for the BCP Council
area;

(b)  
In approving and adopting
the strategy, that BCP Council commits to developing a funding
strategy; and

(c)   
Cabinet notes that there is
no statutory duty upon BCP Council as the Coast Protection
Authority to undertake coast protection works, nor does the
adoption of the strategy bind BCP Council to commit to the
provision of any funding for the delivery of the identified
options.
Voting:
Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Climate
Response, Environment and Energy

Reason

Approval and adoption of this FCERM strategy by BCP
Council, New Forest District Council and the Environment Agency,
ensures that technically feasible, environmentally acceptable and
economically viable options are developed to reduce the risks from
coastal flooding and erosion to people, their properties and the
environment over the next 100 years for the coastline from
Hengistbury Head to Hurst Spit.

Without such an approach, it is likely that current
management approaches would continue in the short term and future
coastal defence works would be managed on an ad-hoc or reactive
basis which would lead to poor cost efficiency and a general
increase in the coastal flood and erosion risk over
time.

This contributes to the following BCP Council
corporate ambition:

·      
Climate change is tackled through sustainable
policies and practice.