GovWire

Shoreline management plans (SMPs) are world leading tools for helping to plan for and manage flood and coastal erosion risks. They set out agreed management approaches for dealing with coastal flooding and erosion along the English coast. They take a strategic approach to planning for coastal adaptation looking forward to 100 years and beyond.

The Environment Agency led an independent peer review of SMPs. This was undertaken as a part of our strategic overview role for the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change in England. The review was undertaken following recent coastal group updates to SMP action plans. The peer review provided an objective view of how SMPs are helping to achieve the ambitions of the National FCERM Strategy. It makes recommendations for improvements and suggestions for further work so SMPs remain fit for 2025 and beyond. We will use the outputs of the review to inform our ongoing work with coastal groups on SMPs.

You can find out more about shoreline management plans and view the shoreline management plan explorer.