Beach management plans for mixed beaches: Review and ways forward

Introduction Over the last two centuries, the predominantly mixed sand and gravel beaches (termed shingle beaches) in Southeast England have become increasingly managed to maintain them in size and position as they often form the only defence against coastal flooding and erosion. Local approaches to management have led to problems along neighbouring frontages leading to current local management practices that take little or no account of those either side or even further along the coast. In most cases management is required to implement the Hold the Line policies of Shoreline Management Plans (SMP2) with the broader management strategy (groyned or open beach) usually defined through more detailed Coastal Defence Strategies. There exists a good understanding of the general beach material movement at all of the frontages, especially as many of these have a long history of management with a basic set of historic annual monitoring data that goes back to the 1970s, and, at a better level of detail and accuracy, since 2003 (CCO 2008).