The reasons why coastal management is needed in Minehead:

Transcription

1 1. Resource 1: Why did Minehead need new sea defences? Coastal management in Minehead In pairs, read the following resource and highlight the reasons why coastal management was needed in Minehead. The reasons why coastal management is needed in Minehead: Minehead is a coastal town on the Bristol Channel and the north-west coast of Somerset. It has the second largest tidal range in the world, 14 metres. The large tides have been a mixed blessing in the past. Although they have allowed Minehead to develop into a busy seaside harbour they have also flooded the town on numerous occasions , 1936, 1981, 1989, 1990, 1992 and twice in Storms come in from the Atlantic with very high waves and so the coast is constantly under attack. It is a seaside resort which developed in the 19 th century. Before that it had been a small fishing village. In 1876 the opening of the railway brought day trippers into the resort. Butlin s holiday camp came in the 20 th century and brought a new wave of visitor. Every year many thousands of people visit, attracted by the huge range of leisure, sport and entertainment facilities. The economy of Minehead relies on the beach and if the beach disappears then the economy would suffer. Also there are homes along the front that need defending from the sea. The 1.8 miles of sea defences at Minehead were originally built to stop the regular flooding of the town and the coastal erosion by waves and longshore drift. By the early 1990s it was clear that the existing sea defences were inadequate and needed replacing. Clearing up after the floods and repairing the storm damage was estimated to be costing over 1 million a year. The four bodies that were responsible for the construction and funding of the new sea wall and other defences were the Environment Agency, the West Somerset District Council, Butlin s and the Somerset County Council Page 1 of 19

2 2. Decision making exercise Role cards: Cut up these cards and give one role to each of the six groups. Local residents The people of Minehead want better flood defences because their homes and livelihoods are adversely affected whenever the sea breaks through the current defences and floods the town. Their homes get covered in mud and the contents are ruined. Sometimes they have been forced to move out for long periods whilst repairs are being down. Their cars also get water damage when the sea floods the coast. Their jobs are also affected when storm damage causes the local businesses to close temporarily. In the long term, they want good sea defences so that Minehead is protected from further flooding for at least the next 50 years. They don t care how much is spent on the sea defences as long as they don t have to pay more in council tax. They want someone else to pay for the sea defences. The sea defences that are chosen should make the seafront attractive and also there should be a long promenade so that they can enjoy the beach in good weather with their families. Look at the possible sea defences. Decide on which one(s) the local residents would prefer and why? Tourists Visitors to Minehead want a good clean beach for picnics and sun bathing and a clean sea for bathing. They want plenty of sand and they also like groynes as they provide wind shelter. They want a promenade at the top of the beach for walking along. They want lots of facilities, e.g. toilets, amenities, e.g. cafes, and attractions, e.g. amusement arcades. They want to continue to visit Minehead and would be sorry if the resort had to close if the sea flooded the bay. Look at the possible sea defences. Decide on which one(s) the tourists would prefer and why? Local government (West Somerset District Council and the Somerset County Council) The officials from the local council want new sea defences because the old ones are failing and it is costing a lot of money to clean up after the floods. The costs include lost revenue in taxes and rates from local businesses which have to close after the floods, maintenance costs doing temporary repairs, and clear up costs. They want new sea defences but they don t want to spend too much money. They want an affordable solution that will last for at least 50 years. They have a budget of 3 million. Look at the possible sea defences. Decide on which one(s) the local government officials would prefer and why? Page 2 of 19

3 Environment Agency funded by national government The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, and is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), with responsibilities relating to the protection and enhancement of the environment in England. They are responsible for building the new sea defences in partnership the local council and businesses. They are the professionals and build the most suitable sea defences at the best price. Their officers have surveyed the area and know the sea defences that would suit the bay best. The Environment Agency want to develop a plan to defend the town and improve the amenity value of the sea defences. They have a budget of 7 million, but this can rise to 13 million as they will have money from Butlin s and the local councils. They want to build several types of sea defence. Look at the possible sea defences. Decide on which one(s) the Environment Agency would prefer and why? Conservationists The local conservationists don t want any sea defences built as they believe that the power of nature cannot be fought. Instead they think that the flooding should be allowed to continue and the sea allowed to flood inland. They think the homes and businesses are built in the wrong place and should be moved to another part of the coast. They think the bay should revert to a natural area for wildlife and have no human activity. Look at the possible sea defences. Decide on which one(s) the Conservationists would prefer and why? Local businesses (Butlin s) Butlin s runs a successful and profitable holiday camp in Minehead. Their customers visit because of the sandy beach and the beautiful surrounding countryside, including Exmoor National Park. They want the beach and bay to be protected from flooding by the sea, especially at high tide because they want to continue to run their holiday camp in its current location and they don t want to move. They have a budget of 3 million which they will contribute to any flood defence scheme. Look at the possible sea defences. Decide on which one(s) Butlin s would prefer and why? Page 3 of 19

4 Sea defences: Costs and benefits Engineering Sea defence Description Costs Benefits Hard Sea wall Concrete or rock barrier built at the foot of cliffs or at the top of a beach with a curved face to reflect the waves back into the sea. Usually 3-5m high. Can be built from sandfilled bags or concrete. High capital costs (very expensive). Low maintenance Up to 10 million per km. Can be unattractive and can be broken. Very effective at preventing erosion. Walkways for visitors can be built on top. Sea walls concentrate wave energy and reflects it back at the sea. Hard Rock armour Large boulders placed at bottom of a cliff. Boulders brought in from elsewhere. Breaks up force of the waves. They absorb the impact of the waves and protect the land. Cheaper than sea walls. High capital costs (expensive) per metre. Can be ugly, particularly if rocks are different from the local geology. Cheap and easy to maintain. Can be an interesting feature. Can be good for wildlife and fishing. Hard Hard Groynes Gabions Wooden/concrete barriers built at right angles to the beach. They help build up beach material by preventing longshore drift. Groynes can reduce the amount of sediment down coast. Rocks and boulders inside a wire cage. They are able to dissipate wave energy by absorbing the impact of the waves. Use smaller rocks and are encased in a wire mesh basket. Medium capital costs. Medium maintenance costs each (at 200m intervals). Can increase rates of erosion further down the coast. Rock groynes can be unattractive. Short lifespan. Wire mesh can break (risk of injury). Ugly. Gabions last for 5-10 years. More expensive than rock armour. Fairly cheap/ cheaper than sea walls. Good for tourists as they provide shelter from wind and also creates a bigger beach. Can be good for fishing. Local beach material can be used, which enables the structures to blend in more with its surroundings. Easy to build. Provide protection against storm surge and wave erosion on beaches and tidal berms Page 4 of 19

5 Soft Beach nourishment Sand or shingle is put onto a beach to make it bigger. Medium capital cots. Medium maintenance costs. Approx per metre A big storm can wash away all the new sand. Fairly cheap and easy to do. Makes a better beach which is good for tourism. Soft Beach reprofiling Sand and shingle is moved from the lower to the upper beach in order to change the shape of the beach. Medium costs. Has to be repeated as it is natural for sand to move. The ecosystem and inland area is protected from erosion, floods and storm surges. Soft Dune regeneration Marram grass is planted to make the dunes stable and to allow them to grow larger and develop into firm land. This stops the sand blowing away and allows new land uses. Low capital costs. Low maintenance costs per 100m. Cheap. Good for wildlife as it creates new habitats. Popular with locals and visitors as creates new ebvironments. Soft Managed retreat (coastal realignment) Managed retreat (or coastal realignment) involves allowing the sea to breach an existing defence and flood the land behind it. Overtime, this land will become marshland. The sea is allowed to flood low-lying coastal areas behind bars and in estuaries and where cliffs have collapsed. This means that land is lost to the sea but can create salt marshes which are new habitats for salt loving plants and attracts wildlife. Low capital costs. Low maintenance costs. Depends on the value of the land being lost. OK for low value land where there are no homes. Money is saved by accepting that the coast is going to be eroded and that land should be lost to the sea. Cheap and a good option for low value land that cannot be used for anything else. Can create a new visitor attraction, e.g. nature reserve. Managed realignment is able to reduce both coastal flooding and erosion Page 5 of 19

6 Interest group Why they think Minehead should or shouldn t have new sea defences? Solution(s) they want How much they are prepared to pay? Local residents Tourists Local government Environment Agency Conservationists Local businesses, e.g. Butlins Page 6 of 19

7 3. Which coastal management strategy is the best? Coastal management in Minehead Option 1: Increase the height of the beach to the height of the promenade by importing vast amounts of sand and cobbles. This would cause the waves to break further away from the shore. Seawall Beach nourishment material Waves break further from the shore Option 2: To increase the height of the sea wall in excess of two meters to try and stop it breaching in inclement weather conditions. Sea wall raised by over 2m so that waves do not go over Option 3: To combine a small extension to the existing sea wall (0.6m), with replenishment of the beach height to around two meters to cause the waves to break further offshore and stops the waves topping the wall in all but extreme storms. The material used to restore the beach would be pumped from the middle of the Bristol Channel. To build a series of four rock groynes to stop the movement of the newly replenished beach (by longshore drift) to the eastern side of the bay. To place tonnes of rock armour at the base of the wall to break up the energy of the larger waves and to install stepped concrete revetment to break up the larger waves and provide good access to the beach. Seawall extended Rock armour Beach nourishment Groyne Option 4: To let the sea flood the land (managed retreat). This would be the same solution that the National Trust has adopted at Porlock just along the coast from Minehead. Here the natural shingle bank had been broken through in stormy weather and the sea was flooding the land behind. A new salt marsh is being created providing a new habitat for wildlife Page 7 of 19

8 4. The solution which option was really used in Minehead? Option 3 was chosen Coastal management in Minehead The Environment Agency developed a plan to defend the town and improve the amenity value of the sea defences. Work started in 1997 and the sea defences were officially opened in The total cost was 12.3million, which represents a considerable saving on the potential losses due to storm damage. Minehead is now a good example of a managed bay. The main features of the scheme are: A 0.6m high sea wall with a curved front to deflect the waves. It has a curved top to deter people from walking on it and its landward side is faced with attractive local red sandstone. Rock armour at the base of the wall to dissipate some of the wave energy. Beach nourishment (sand) to build up the beach by 2m in height. This forces the waves to break further out to sea and provides an excellent sandy beach for tourists. Four rock groynes to help retain the beach and stop longshore drift moving sand to the east. A wide walkway with seating areas alongside the sea wall. This is popular with tourists and local people. The scheme has been extremely successful. Not only does it protect the town from storms and high tides, but it has also enhanced the seafront by creating an attractive beach environment. Option 1 was eventually considered unacceptable because it would have required too much long term maintenance. It would have also needed the placement of groynes that were considered by the councils to be excessively long. Option 2 was eventually ruled out because of its adverse visual impact and because it would disrupt disabled access to the beach. The sea wall at Minehead The beach and Butlins holiday camp at Minehead Page 8 of 19

9 5. What have been the effects of the adopted coastal management scheme? Political Economic Social Technological Environmental Positive Local council saves money as less flooding and therefore lower clear up costs. Higher income from rates as businesses stay. Local council voted back in because met needs of local people and businesses. Businesses that rely on tourism stay in Minehead, keeping jobs and providing an income to the resort. Homes protected from flooding. Better beach for leisure and recreation. More tourists. Fishing from rock armour. Sea wall and rock armour prevent more erosion. A wide walkway with seating areas was built alongside and is popular with tourists and local people. Fishing and wildlife can also benefit. New habitats created in rock armour and near groynes. Bigger beach. Groynes provide shelter which benefits some species. Negative Money spent on sea defences means less to spend on other things. Sea defences are expensive and need to be maintained. Minehead scheme cost 13 million. More visitors so loss of peace and quiet. Sea defences such as sea walls and rock armour can have short life spans and need regular maintenance. Loss of natural beauty. Loss of natural habitats. Groynes can increase erosion further down the coast Page 9 of 19

10 6. What have been the effects of the adopted coastal management scheme? Exam Question Annotate the photograph to show the effects of the coastal management scheme on Minehead. (3 marks) Page 10 of 19

11 7. Comparing the coastal management strategies being adopted in Minehead and Porlock. Watch the video and make notes on the ways the two different towns (Minehead and Porlock) are managing their coastline. Coastal management in Minehead Coastal management in Porlock Which do you consider to be the most sustainable option for coastal management? Give your reasons Page 11 of 19

12 8. Possible conflicts Look at the possible conflicts between the different interest groups. Use the key to colour in the boxes. Interest group Local residents Local residents Tourists Tourists Local government Local government Environment Agency Environment Agency Conservationists Conservationists Local businesses e.g. Butlins Local businesses, e.g. Butlins Conflict Possible conflict No conflict Explain where the main conflicts lie, why do you think this is? Page 12 of 19

13 9. Exam Question Use a case study to explain why coastal management schemes are needed along some parts of the UK coast. (6 marks) Page 13 of 19

14 Minehead, Somerset - a coastal management case study summary sheet Where is Minehead and why does it need coastal management? Minehead is a coastal town on the Bristol Channel and the north-west coast of Somerset. It has the second largest tidal range in the world - 14m. The large tides have flooded the town on numerous occasions and twice in Storms come in from the Atlantic with very high waves and so the coast is constantly under attack. Clearing up after the floods and repairing the storm damage was estimated to be costing over 1 million a year. It is a seaside resort which developed in the 19 th century. Butlins holiday camp came in the 20 th century and brought a new wave of visitor. Every year many thousands of people visit, attracted by the huge range of leisure, sport and entertainment facilities. The economy of Minehead relies on the beach and if the beach disappears then the economy would suffer. Also there are homes along the front that need defending from the sea. The 1.8 miles of sea defences at Minehead were originally built to stop the regular flooding of the town and the coastal erosion by waves and longshore drift. By the early 1990s it was clear that the existing sea defences were inadequate and needed replacing. The Environment Agency developed a plan to defend the town and improve the amenity value of the sea defences. Work started in 1997 and the sea defences were officially opened in The total cost was 12.3million, which represents a considerable saving on the potential losses due to storm damage. What coastal management strategies have they adopted? 1. A 0.6m high sea wall with a curved front to deflect the waves. It has a curved top to deter people from walking on it and its landward side is faced with attractive local red sandstone. Although it was expensive it is effective at preventing erosion. A wide walkway with seating areas was built alongside the sea wall. This is popular with tourists and local people. 2. Rock armour at the base of the wall to dissipate some of the wave energy. This was expensive but is low maintenance. The rocks chosen blended in with the local landscape and so were attractive. Rock armour can have a short life span but can be effective at preventing erosion. Fishing and wildlife can also benefit. 3. Beach nourishment (sand) to build up the beach by 2m in height. This forces the waves to break further out to sea and provides an excellent sandy beach for tourists. There are medium capital costs and medium maintenance costs. 4. Four rock groynes to help retain the beach and stop longshore drift moving sand to the east. Rock groynes have medium capital costs and medium maintenance costs but they are good for tourists as provide shelter from wind and also creates a bigger beach and can be good for fishing. However, they can increase rates of erosion further down the coast. The scheme has been extremely successful. Not only does it protect the town from storms and high tides, but it has also enhanced the seafront by creating an attractive beach environment. Minehead is a good example of a managed bay. Tasks 1. Highlight the costs of each of the four strategies adopted in Minehead. 2. Highlight the benefits of the strategies adopted in Minehead. 3. Use a case study of coastal management to assess the costs and benefits of the strategies adopted. (8) Page 14 of 19

15 Teachers notes: Learning objectives: A case study of a coastal management scheme in the UK - Minehead, Somerset. This case study is to show: the reasons for the management the measures taken the resulting effects and possible conflicts. 1. Why did Minehead need new sea defences? Give out resource one. In pairs, students should read and highlight the reasons why coastal management was needed in Minehead. They should make a few bullet points to summarise the information. Answers: Frequent flooding especially during storms. The town is a resort and relies on visitors. If the beach disappears the visitors will stop coming and many people would lose their jobs. The town has a harbour and many homes are built next to the sea but these homes get flooded frequently. The existing flood defences are not good enough and the cost of clearing up after the floods is high. New sea defences are expensive to build but will save money in the long term. 2. Decision making exercise a. Divide class into six groups. b. Give each group a role card (Local residents, Tourists, Local government, Environment Agency, Conservationists, and Local businesses). c. Each group should also be given a copy of Sea defences: Costs and benefits sheet. d. Each group to prepare a presentation for the class. This should include who they are, why they think Minehead should or shouldn t have new defences, the solution they think should be adopted and how much they think should be spent? e. They should then present their findings and the other students should make notes on their tables of the key views of each interest group Page 15 of 19

16 Answer: Interest group Why they think Minehead should or shouldn t have new sea defences? Solution(s) they want How much they are prepared to pay? Local residents Want new sea defences to protect their homes, jobs and cars Sea wall with promenade on top. Groynes Nil, want someone else to pay Tourists Want a good sandy clean beach Don t know Nil, want someone else to pay Local government Old defences need constant repair and are expensive to maintain Sea wall Groynes Rock armour 3 million Environment Agency It is their responsibility to protect & enhance coast Sea wall Groynes Rock armour 7 million Conservationists Don t want any new sea defences, nature should take its course and create a new wildlife habitat Managed retreat Nil Local businesses, e.g. Butlins Want to continue to make money and want beach to be kept Don t mind 3 million 3. Which coastal management strategy is the best? a. Give students a copy of the options resource, which provides four suggestions of possible management options available for Minehead. The groups should read each options and decide which they feel is the best. b. Each group should feedback on the option they think is best with reasons why? 4. The solution which option was really used in Minehead? a. Class to look at The solution worksheet. b. Class discussion. Students to compare and contrast the class opinions and views with the real events. Do they think the right choice was made? Page 16 of 19

17 Negative Positive Coastal management in Minehead 5. What have been the effects of the adopted coastal management scheme? a. Students to complete a consensus activity. In groups, draw a large circle in the middle of the piece of sugar paper. In silence, each member of the group should write an effect of the coastal management scheme at Minehead. Can be positive or negative, can be political, economic, social, technological or environmental (PESTE). They should write it around the edge of the circle, not in it! b. They should then read each other s answers. Once all comments have been read, together they should write an answer to the question inside the circle. c. Once this group answer has been written, student should write their own improved version in their books. Answers: Political Economic Social Technological Environmental Local council saves money as less flooding and therefore lower clear up costs. Higher income from rates as businesses stay. Local council voted back in because met needs of local people and businesses. Businesses that rely on tourism stay in Minehead, keeping jobs and providing an income to the resort. Homes protected from flooding. Better beach for leisure and recreation. More tourists. Fishing from rock armour. Sea wall and rock armour prevent more erosion. A wide walkway with seating areas was built alongside and is popular with tourists and local people. Fishing and wildlife can also benefit. New habitats created in rock armour and near groynes. Bigger beach. Groynes provide shelter which benefits some species. Money spent on sea defences means less to spend on other things. Sea defences are expensive and need to be maintained. Minehead scheme cost 13 million. More visitors so loss of peace and quiet. Sea defences such as sea walls and rock armour can have short life spans and need regular maintenance. Loss of natural beauty. Loss of natural habitats. Groynes can increase erosion further down the coast Page 17 of 19

18 6. What have been the effects of the adopted coastal management scheme? Exam question. Students to annotate their copy of the Minehead coastline with the solutions and their effects. They should be able to identify the sea wall, walkway behind this, the rock armour in front of the wall and beach nourishment. (The groynes are not shown in this image, or cannot been seen clearly enough). Marks can be awarded for identifying any of these solutions with an effect they have on the area. Arrows must touch the feature being commented on for point to be awarded. Can award two marks if the label has been developed in detail. These solutions and effects are detailed on slide 17 and Comparing the coastal management strategies being adopted in Minehead and Porlock. a. Students to watch the video and then compare the two approaches being adopted in Minehead and Porlock. b. Which approach do they think is more sustainable? Get them to discuss their ideas and then be ready to feedback, giving their reasons. Answer: At Porlock the National Trust has adopted the strategy of managed retreat, the sea is being allowed to flood the land. This is because it will cost a lot of money to rebuild the natural shingle bank and in the long term this will be ineffective. Farmland is being lost but a new habitat is being created. This is a more sustainable approach but is possible at Porlock because there are fewer homes and businesses to protect. 8. Possible conflicts a. Students to complete their conflicts table, looking at the possible conflicts between the different interest groups. b. They should use the key to colour in the boxes. c. They should notice that it is mainly the conservationists who would have conflicting views. Can they explain why the conservationists might be in conflict with other groups of people? Page 18 of 19

19 Answer: Conservationists often put the need to conserve the environment first. They do not want any development on the land or to have any human activity. They believe that the natural landscape and the ecosystems that exist there should be preserved for future generations and that any development should be restricted. They think that nature should be allowed to take its course and that if an area of coast is being eroded or flooded then it is a waste of time and money to stop this. Other people want the coast to be protected from coastal erosion and flooding because they want to protect their existing homes and jobs. 9. Exam Question Use a case study to explain why coastal management schemes are needed along some parts of the UK coast. (6 marks) Answer: Content will depend on case study used, in this case the Minehead coast. Candidates should be able to highlight the reasons why coastal management is needed and make the link to their contribution to the local economy and community, such as local employment, homes, and businesses. No marks if case study is not coastal management but if comments could relate to coastal management, max L1. Level 1: Basic (1-4 marks) Simple statements or listed points with no real development and no named case study. General reasons for coastal management given. E.g. Seawalls have been built to stop erosion and flooding. Groynes have been built to prevent longshore drift and to keep the beach for tourists. Level 2: Clear (5-6 marks) Linked statements with the name of a place/scheme. Some explanation and understanding of why coastal management schemes are needed. E.g. At Minehead the sea defences have been updated because of the frequent flooding especially during storms due to the large tidal range (14m). The town is a resort and relies on visitors. If the beach disappears the visitors will stop coming and many people would lose their jobs. The town has a harbour and many homes are built next to the sea but these homes get flooded frequently. The existing flood defences are not good enough and the cost of clearing up after the floods is high. New sea defences are expensive to build but will save money in the long term. Minehead, Somerset a coastal management case study summary sheet This summary sheet has been included and could be used for a less able class, or if students have been absent during the enquiry into coastal management in Minehead Page 19 of 19