In the first of its kind, the Government of Jersey has prepared a draft plan to address the effects of climate change on the island’s coasts.
Environment and Infrastructure officers from Growth, Housing and Environment have worked with climate consultants AECOM and key stakeholders to create a draft Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) which focuses on mitigating the effects of rising sea levels over the next 100 years.
The potential risks associated with flooding and coastal erosion over the next century have been assessed, and plans prepared to mitigate their impact on the community, environment and economy.
Islanders are being invited to find out what the proposals are, and comment on them. A series of public events are being held next week:
Tuesday 9 July:
• 7pm at Grouville Parish Hall – public presentation
Wednesday 10 July
• 8am-11am, Gunsite – drop-in
• 11.30-3pm, Liberation Station – drop-in
• 6pm, Ommaroo Hotel, Havre des Pas – public presentation
Thursday 11 July
• 8.30am, St Helier Town Hall – public presentation
Friday 12 July
• 9.30am-3pm, King Street / Don Street, St Helier – drop-in
• 3.30-5pm, St Brelade’s Parish Hall, St Aubin – drop-in
• 5pm, St Brelade’s Parish Hall, St Aubin – public presentation
Saturday 13 July
• 9am-11am, St Catherine’s Breakwater – drop-in
The Infrastructure Minister, Deputy Kevin Lewis said: “Our current coastal defenses are at a high standard and have been recognised for their quality by AECOM. What this plan proposes is that we continue to not only repair but also improve the performance of our existing infrastructure. What has been established in the research is that the cost of doing nothing will far outweigh the cost of action and through this early planning we can avoid future damage.”
The Minister for the Environment, Deputy John Young, said: “In May, the States Assembly declared a climate emergency. As well as taking action to reduce our carbon emissions, we all must acknowledge and be prepared for the local impacts of a changing climate. Rising sea levels and the effects of severe weather have been noticeable in low lying parts of the island already. The government has been working on a draft plan which uses current scientific understanding to estimate the potential impacts on the local coastline, and which we can now use to implement staged measures of protection.”
The SMP includes an assessment of the potential damages that could be caused by flooding and coastal erosion to properties, infrastructure, businesses, industry and tourism and recreation. From this, the benefits and costs of implementing the management policies were determined for the 100-year appraisal period.
The management policies put forward in the Shoreline Management Plan will be finalised following consideration of the consultation responses. Following this, action plans for implementing the Shoreline Management Plan will be produced.
The consultation, which is part of Your Island, Your Say campaign, will close on 27 September 2019.
Government of Jersey Press Release.