In its capacity as one of the country’s biggest landowners with a particular interest in coastal areas, the National Trust has been bringing forward its own plans about protecting land and buildings after much of its property took a battering in ferocious storms this winter.
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| Britain has taken a real winter battering |
Taking matters further, it is now calling for a clear national strategy to adapt to the threat of coastal damage in the face of climate change. This follows from the revision of its landmark “Shifting Shores” report from 2005, and has been prompted by the storms which ravaged the country during January and February, with the South West being particularly badly hit.
Storm force winds, high tides and heavy rain caused millions of pounds’ worth of damage to road and rail infrastructure as well as coastal defences, homes and businesses. These impacts have meant that the charity has had to fast-forward many decisions about land and buildings in its care, looking at how to adapt coastal places in the months ahead, rather than years or decades.
Simon Pryor, natural environment director at the National Trust, said: “There is a natural inclination to want to defend the coastline with concrete, but our coastline is dynamic and the forces of nature that have formed it are part of its beauty. Hard defences will always have their place, but the winter storms that hit many coastal places hard have provided a valuable reminder that they have a limited life.
“The report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last week clearly demonstrates some of the big changes ahead and re-inforces the urgency of having a workable plan for the long-term management of the coastline .
“Communities living on the coast, landowners, Government agencies and local and central Government all need to work together now to find solutions based around an adaptation approach to help future-proof the coastline.”
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