Case Study A information for Chapters 3 and 4

Abstract

The Steart Coastal Managed Realignment project made direct links between global and regional agendas with local wants. Thorough and detailed sets of consultation procedures enabled the community members to come together to embrace a significant change in their local area, and plan for the future with the project contractors. The Steart peninsula covers some 1,000 ha between the mouth of the tidal River Parrett and the Bristol Channel in north Somerset, UK. The peninsula primarily comprises agricultural land, much of which occupies land below mean high water spring tide level. In the UK, interest in managed realignment began in the late 1980s, with the first projects initiated in the mid to late 1990s. A planning application for the works was submitted by the EA to the local authority in December 2011 and a permission was granted in March 2012; earthworks commenced in May 2012.