The Walney Strategy is currently being
reviewed and updated. Public consultations are ongoing and updated
documents for consultation will be published on this website in due
course. The final updated Strategy is planned to be published by
the end of 2011.
A coastal defence management strategy for Walney Island over the
next 100 years has been developed and, following thorough public
consultation, has been adopted by Barrow Borough Council as a final
strategy document.
The full study has involved the compilation of existing data and
examination of the issues and this is presented within the Volume 1
Report (Stage 1 of the study) and additional desk and field studies
to set the most appropriate future defence strategies (Stage 2 -
leading to Volume 2).
Downloading the Walney Island Coast Management Strategy
Documents
Subject to the copyright conditions noted below, you may
download the Walney Island Coast Management Strategy.
Copyright Notice - Walney Island Coastal
Management Strategy. This Strategy report has been
produced by ATKINS for Barrow Borough Council solely for the
purpose of the Walney Island Coastal Management Strategy
Study.
It may not be used by any person for any other purpose other
than that specified without the express written permission of
ATKINS. Any liability arising out of
use by a third party of this document for purposes not wholly
connected with the above shall be the responsibility of that party
who shall indemnify ATKINS against all claims costs damages and
losses arising out of such use.
Volume 1
Volume 2
Alternatively, you may download individual sections of
this document.
Volume 2 Appendices
The appendices to the Strategy are not available on-line but can
be viewed by appointment at Capita Symonds Offices (address at foot
of page). The Appendices are:
- Appendix A - Stage 2 Scope
- Appendix B - Survey and Ground
Investigations
- Appendix C - Habitat Audit
- Appendix D - Shoreline Evolution
Report
- Appendix E - Strategy Development Options
- Appendix F - Recommended Future
Monitoring
- Appendix G - Risk Registers
- Appendix H - Economic Assessment of Options
- Appendix I - Issues Raised by Consultees
- Appendix J - LDW14 Defra Priority Score Information
Key issues and Recommendations of the Walney Island Coast
Management Strategy
Preparation of this Strategy has addressed the following key
issues:
- Rates of erosion along the west coast of Walney
Island.
- The threat to the public from flooding.
- Flood warning, forecasting and emergency planning (flood
re-routing).
- Prevention of pollution from the various landfill sites
on the island.
- The need to minimise effects of future coastal defence
management on natural habitats and to maintain the favourable
status of protected habitats.
A key conclusion of this study, based on current information,
is that for the foreseeable future (of the order hundreds of years)
Walney Island is not at risk of a 'permanent' breach caused by
coastal erosion. (For this study, 'breach' is
defined as a break in the island at all states of the
tide).
Whilst stating this, it must be emphasised that the island is
currently experiencing occasional 'temporary breaches', or flood
water linkage caused by waves overtopping defences during extreme
storms, but the problem abates as the tide recedes over a period of
days. Nevertheless, it is appreciated that this
is of great concern to isolated communities, particularly around
Biggar and Tummer Hill.
The
recommended strategy for protecting Walney Island's human and
environmental assets is "Sustainable Selective
Intervention".
This strategy seeks to continue
the current approach, with improvements/modifications to some
existing defences, but also includes use of beach management
techniques through local recycling of shingle or defence
material.
It encourages, at selective locations,
the landward movement of defence lines (managed realignment) if
appropriate.
Implemented correctly, such defence
realignment could reduce flood risk during storm events (via
effective flood re-routing schemes) and facilitate better emergency
planning.
The preferred strategy provides for the creation of secondary
defence bunds (if required), set back from the coastline, to reduce
flood risk, and designed to encourage the generation of new
habitats. Only key assets on the west coast, such as the landfill
site at Low Bank, will be provided with protection from
erosion. The protection to landfill sites will
continue unless and until more appropriate, cost effective
alternative disposal solutions are found.
In the longer term, most likely beyond the economic appraisal
period of this Strategy (100 years), if the island is to be
maintained as a natural breakwater to Barrow, wide-scale
intervention through coastal defence is likely to be the only
feasible solution. A critical question that needs to be answered,
at a regional level, is what minimum width of Walney Island is
acceptable to sustain a thriving community? This is not a question
that this generation needs to answer. Indeed,
within the timeframe of this Strategy, economic and environmental
constraints prevent a recommendation to halt contemporary erosion.
To this end, management of the west coast of Walney Island will be
focussed on how best to manage its retreat. Any
planning decisions on Walney Island should include consideration of
this far reaching recommendation.
There are uncertainties over natural shoreline evolution of
the island. The sand/shingle beaches along the west coast are
subject to a number of stresses, including the net loss of material
from the system and wide variations in "year-on-year"
storms. This can result in increased erosion
rates along un-defended cliffs and increased pressure on existing
defences potentially leading to increased flood
risk. Therefore, the implementation of a simple
monitoring and feedback system, ideally involving local
communities, is integral to the success of the Strategy.
Project Appraisal Reports
To take further the findings of this Strategy, there is a need
to develop in more detail the actions potentially required to
implement the preferred strategy option. The following studies
(known as Project Appraisal Reports (PAR's) - subject to Defra
approval) are recommended to be undertaken in a sequential manner
over the next few years. The progression of the studies listed here
is subject to Defra approval. A draft
implementation programme is presented in Section 7 of the
report.
PAR 1 - Beach Response Management System
(BRMS).
The preparation of a structured long term monitoring programme
is vital to being able to support the development of sustainable
shoreline management options for Walney Island. Whilst monitoring
currently takes place, a data management system specifically for
Walney Island is required. PAR1 will identify priority areas for
monitoring (shoreline/saltmarsh etc) with the results supporting
the development of policy decisions for PAR's 2 and 3 (see
below).
PAR 2 - Managed Realignment
Implementation
Using information collated from PAR 1 on an annual basis and
the Regional Monitoring Strategy, a second PAR is urgently required
to determine the long term strategy for the landfill tip site
defences at Bent Haw and Low Bank in particular. The current
Strategy Study scope was not designed to determine the potential
contamination issues associated with relocating the contents of the
tips. However, coupled with more robust topographic surveying in
the hinterland area, a clearer action plan for how implementing
selective or total managed realignment needs to be achieved. PAR2
is a key report to enable this through focused topographic and
geotechnical investigations and the potential development of an
island wide digital elevation terrain model. Based on these
results, proposals for flood re-routing options and redefining a
2050 "defence line" that will be acceptable to all Walney Island
stakeholders may be determined.
PAR 3 - Tummer Hill, Middle Hill and Biggar Village
Community Flood Risk Assessment
Following on from the preparation and implementation of PAR1
and findings presented in PAR2, a third PAR would focus on
undertaking a flood risk assessment, a flood awareness study for
all residential settlements, the development of future flood
mitigation measures for Tummer Hill and Middle Hill, Biggar Village
and a study of access issues to the south of the island and
properties adjacent to Jubilee Bridge at Vickerstown (incorporating
flood re-routing proposals identified in PAR2). A clear statement
on appropriate actions to mitigate against flood risk and seek to
reduce flood risk and access route problems to the south will be
ascertained and founded on the information presented in PAR1 and
strategic long term defence options presented in PAR 2.
It is important to emphasise that the preferred Strategy is
subject to review. For example, should the
outcome of future monitoring exercises (PAR1 and PAR2) show an
unforeseen increase in the rate of erosion and shoreline recession
then the preferred strategic option will need to be
revised.
In summary, the successful implementation of this Strategy
depends on partnership between public authorities and key
stakeholders with all future management issues considered on an
island wide basis.