A strategic regional coastal monitoring programme for the southwest of England, to provide freely available data of consistently high quality to inform coastal management and future strategy.The maritime Local Authorities (lead by Teignbridge District Council), the Coastal Groups of the southwest of England and the Environment Agency (South West Region) are working to develop a long-term, region wide coastal process monitoring and analysis programme.
Following many years of ad-hoc monitoring of coastal processes within the southwest, an extensive integrated survey programme was developed to cover approx. 1000km of open coastline and estuaries between Portland Bill, and Sand Point, Somerset. The programme is expected to cost approx £7.2m over a period of five years, but with an expectation that the programme will continue indefinitely. It is 100% grant aided by DEFRA. Funding commenced in April 2006. The programme has been designed in a very similar format to that formulated for the South East Strategic Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme. Data are collected via a series of contracts which were awarded in late 2006/early 2007. Large quantities of data will be made freely available from the survey and analysis programme; this is expected to be useful to Local Authorities within the region, the Environment Agency, consultants in coastal defence, conservation management, academic research and for educational purposes. All data collected by the Programme and analysis reports will be made available via the website (www.channelcoast.org), which also acts as the data storage facility for the Southeast coastal monitoring programme. A specialist team has been established at the Plymouth Coastal Observatory to manage the programme and develop the data analysis, storage and dissemination procedures. Plymouth Coastal Observatory has been set up at the University of Plymouth with the aim of establishing strong links with research communities in the southwest, to provide opportunities for value added research programmes.
