Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management -
Responsibilities
Who is responsible for carrying out sea defence and coast
protection work and what is the statutory (legal) framework?
Flood and Coastal Defence Policy
Statement - Havant
Council's Flood and Coastal
Defence Policy Statement guides our
coast and drainage activities
Coastal Responsibilities
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
has overall policy responsibility for flood and coastal
erosion risk management in England
- Environment Agency has the Strategic Overview for all
forms of flooding & coastal erosion
- Frontagers are responsible for their own frontage
- Coast Protection Authorities will only act when it is
in the wider public interest
>>Click here for an explained diagram on who's responsible
for what (PDF 552KB) <<
Coast Protection / Flood Defence (Responsibilities)
Land owners (Frontagers) are always responsible for
protecting their own property from flooding and coastal erosion but
they must act within the applicable legal and planning
framework.
The Coastal Protection Authorities of Havant Borough Council,
Portsmouth City Council and Gosport Borough
Council and the Environment Agency in their Strategic
Overview role have permissive powers and responsibilities
under the following Acts:
These permissive powers and responsibilities to act do not imply
a duty to prevent erosion or flooding.
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Flood Defence.
Environment Agency.
Low lying areas susceptible to flooding.
Coast Protection.
Local Authority.
Cliffs and high land susceptible to erosion.
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In general Coastal Protection Authorities and the
Environment Agency will only act in the public interest where there
is;
- a clear economic benefit,
- an appropriate engineering solution can be achieved
and;
- no contravention of environmental legislation.