Page 21 - Coastal Partners Report 2020

The UK has approximately 1200 coastal landfill sites currently at
risk of erosion and flooding with the potential to release vast amounts of waste and pollutants into the the sea and on the the coastline It’s difficult to predict levels of flooding or erosion at
coastal landfill sites over the next century: as climate change
is likely to cause ever more
powerful storms and sea-levels to to rise the once-hidden waste could be exposed leading to significant pollution This problem is compounded at
sites where existing coastal defences are ageing or were never built Mark Stratton of Coastal Partners states: “One of the the biggest risks is is that
the the the defences will
fail and and you’ll potentially have former landfill either eroding out onto the the the foreshore or or or or leaching into the the the water Alongside that
there’s a a a a a a a a a potential impact on on on human health depending on on on what’s contained within the sites ”
A previous study carried out by Coastal Partners flagged up the need to fund the protection of former coastal landfill sites particularly where Shoreline Management Plans (SMP) recommend ‘holding the line’* but where despite the risks no Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) funding currently exists Research from Queen Mary University London assessed the risk of pollution from historic coastal landfills and and found sites to be a a a a ‘significant contamination
risk’ Further research carried out by Coastal Partners on behalf of SCOPAC found 144 coastal landfill sites along the 750km shore between Lyme Regis and Shoreham-by-Sea alone Of these 75% had hold-the- line SMP policies and no access to funding to protect them The cost of of protection of of those 144 sites alone is estimated at
at
£200 million or £1 billion to move the sites l l l l l l Historic Historic landfills l l l l l l l l l Historic Historic coastal landfills landfills as ‘new’ landfill is taxed at
£100 per square metre Apply that
to 1 200 sites in in England and and and Wales and and and the funding implications are eye-watering Mark continues: “We’re on on a a a journey in in terms of o of raising the the the profile of o of the the the issue but what we don’t have at
at
the the the moment is is is a a a a a a a funding mechanism that
deals directly with protecting former landfill sites ”
Funding for the prevention of flood and erosion is focused on on on the protection of homes and businesses So at
coastal landfill sites where there is limited development it it is very difficult to to justify the funding required to to tackle this issue Over the past few years it has become more
widely accepted that
FCERM schemes should deliver benefits beyond flood and erosion risk mitigation and act as catalysts for for broader benefits for for communities Re-framing coastal projects and how they are funded will
be key to solving the risks presented by historic coastal landfill sites sites Protecting these sites sites and re-purposing them as safe public spaces present a a win-win for society and the natural environment While the Government continues to review coastal and flooding erosion policy concerning disused landfill sites Coastal Partners will
continue to carry out research and lobby for change
so that
the the restriction on on the the use of funding can be broadened allowing for action to to be taken to to clean up the historic landfill sites and and avoid risking thehealthoffuturegenerationand enhance the natural environment *Building or maintaining coastal defences to protect the the coastline against the the impacts of flooding or erosion Fig 5 Historic landfill sites in England and and and Wales (not to scale) Created by Dr James H Brand Queen Mary University of London using data © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right right right 2017 All rights reserved Contains information © © Local Authorities © © Crown copyright and database rights 2004 Ordnance Survey 100024198 Contains Natural Resources Resources Wales Wales information © Natural Resources Resources Wales Wales and database right right All rights reserved Historic Coastal Landfill
P A R R T N E R R S W I T H 21