I would like to inform the House of a new coastal change fund that I am establishing. The fund, of up to £11 million, is designed to support communities in adapting to coastal change. I am inviting bids from local authorities interested in becoming coastal change pathfinders to pilot new approaches to planning for, and managing, change in partnership with their communities. Further details are set out in the “Coastal Change Policy” consultation which has also been published. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The consultation also seeks views on using the coastal change fund to enable coastal local authorities to help homeowners who lose a property to coastal erosion with demolition and moving costs. The consultation proposes that a grant of approximately £4,000 per property lost would be available to local authorities for this purpose.

Through the pathfinder programme, authorities will be able to test ideas and guidance on possible approaches to planning for and managing coastal change adaptation. Approaches could range from projects to help maintain beach access points damaged by coastal change; “buy and lease back” schemes to ease the transition where a property is at risk of being lost; and support for “roll-back” of caravan parks at risk.

These coastal change proposals are part of the Government’s wider programme to support communities in adapting to flood and coastal erosion risk. It reflects the commitment, made in the Government’s “Making Space for Water” strategy, to effective management of flood and erosion risk in a sustainable way which takes account of climate change. We will defend where it is sustainable and affordable to do so, but it will not be possible to protect every piece of coastline.

Where this is the case, communities will need to start preparing for and managing change. Significant progress has already been made with a programme of activities designed to support adaptation. These include the provision of better planning information through shoreline management plans and support for households to protect against flood risk through a £5 million grants scheme.

The consultation closes on 25 September 2009 and copies can be found via the DEFRA consultation website:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/coastal-change/index.htm