2.12B Policy decisions

• No active intervention = No investment in defending against flooding or erosion, whether or not coastal defences have existed previously. 

  -> Allow the coast to erode
• strategic realignment = Allow the coastline to move naturally but managing the process to direct it in certain areas.
• Hold the line = Build of maintain coastal defences so that the position of the shoreline remains the same over time. 
• Advance the line = Build new coastal defences on the seaward side of the existing coastline. 
• Cost benefit analysis:

  • used to help decide if defending a coastline from erosion and/or flooding is economically justifiable. 
  • weighing up the costs and benefits
• Environmental impact assessment:

  EIA is a process that aims to identify:

  -> the short-term impacts of construction on the coastal environment

  -> the long-term impacts of building new sea defences or changing a policy from hold the line to no active intervention or managed realignment