Making Space for Sand

Coastal sand dunes (known in Cornwall as “towans”) are an important part of our natural sea defences but they are highly dynamic and mobile systems that are constantly on the move. They can change quickly in response to individual storms but there are also longer-term climatic trends at work.

In Cornwall many of these systems are eroding leading to potentially dangerous cliffing whilst in other areas along our coast sand dunes are growing larger (known as “accretion”) which can cause problems as they migrate inland. This can impact properties and critical infrastructure or reduce access to communities.

To manage existing and future erosion and sea flooding risk and ensure the sustainability of our coastal communities, it is important that we have strategies in place to sustain these valuable assets that allow them to develop naturally where possible or impose temporary artificial restraints when it is socially, environmentally and economically viable to do so.

To make our ambition of sustainable sand dune systems a reality, Cornwall Council sought funding from Defra under their Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP). We were successful and are now embarking on a 6 year project to bring about the changes needed to protect both our communities and our towans in a rapidly changing environment.

This Making Space for Sand project will look at various sites around the Cornish coast, with 40 locations initially identified for the project; all locations will receive some benefit, with 6 locations having more detailed investigation/action plans.

The project is broken down into 5 elements:

1. Information – Assessing the baseline characteristics of each location
2. Modelling – Looking at how action (or inaction) will impact these coastal areas
3. Visualisation- Turning data into information to help aid public engagement
4. Actions
   1. Short-term – actions to ensure readiness for today
   2. Medium-term – actions to enable adaptation for the future
   3. Long-term – strategies to ensure long-term sustainability
5. Adaptation Planning – Helping communities to become designated Coastal Change Management Areas for the purpose of planning and to support Cornwall Council’s Climate Change and Coastal Adaptation Development Plan Document