holderness coastal management scheme

• Why are coastal management schemes needed on the Holderness coast?

  • Large areas of the Holderness coast (e.g. Hornsea and Bridlington) are at threat from erosion, putting many businesses and homes at risk.

  • Coastal erosion is also threatening to damage large areas of farmland and infrastructure, including main roads and the gas terminal at Easington, which supplies 25% of the UK's gas.
• What are the effects and conflicts of the coastal management schemes being used on the Holderness coast?

  • Coastal management schemes have helped protect many key areas in Holderness from erosion, including the Easington Gas Terminal, roads and the towns of Mappleton and Bridlington.

  • Because of the high cost of building and maintaining coastal defences, only the most valuable locations are being protected. This leaves large areas vulnerable to damage.

  • The groynes at Mappleton have prevented the movement of sediment down the coast through longshore drift. However, in doing so, this has increased the rate of erosion and subsequent loss of land further south of Mappleton.

  • Unprotected areas of coastline are being eroded quicker than protected areas, causing bays and headlands to form. Headlands in unprotected areas become more exposed and increasingly difficult and costly to protect.
• Outline the Holderness coast.

  • Located in north-east England
  • One of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe - it loses an average of 2 metres of land to erosion each year
  • It is made up of soft boulder clay which is very easily eroded
  • Strong prevailing winds create longshore drift which moves eroded material south along the coast - this leads large areas of coastline exposed to erosion