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Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management appraisal guidance

Supporting Document for the Appraisal Summary Table

March 2010

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Preface This document is produced as a supporting document to the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Appraisal Guidance (FCERM-AG). It provides a possible template, descriptions and a worked example for a project Appraisal Summary Table. Users should refer to the FCERM-AG main document on the Environment Agency website for more information on the use of Appraisal Summary Table in project appraisal.

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Appraisal Summary Table

Project name

Project description

Option Baseline Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

Overview/ Description

Technical issues

Assumptions and uncertainties

Approaches to adaptation

Costs

Category

Description and quantification of impacts

Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Go to guidance on economic impacts

Go to guidance on environmental impacts

Go to guidance on social impacts

Table 1: Links to supporting guidance when describing, quantifying and valuing impacts This table identifies guidance that is available to help you describe, quantify and value economic, environmental and social impacts. Click on the hyperlinks to supporting documents to access the relevant supporting document. Other impacts may occur (and be included in the environmental assessment) for which no supporting document is currently available. Where there is currently no supporting document available or guidance is only partly available, click on the hyperlink for the impact type for a brief discussion on the types of effects that could be considered and links to external documents that could help you when describing, quantifying and (where appropriate) valuing the impacts. Organisations that you could contact to discuss the impacts are also included. You should also link to the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) as the planning and delivery tool for engagement. Using this tool will help you develop a better understanding of the social impacts, which can then be incorporated into the appraisal. A worked example AST is provided in Annex 1 to this supporting document.

Source Impact type

Guidance on valuing Flood Coastal erosion

Economic impacts

Property Yes Multi-Coloured Handbook/Manual: Chapter 4 (residential)

Multi-Coloured Handbook/Manual: Chapter 5 (non-residential) Multi-Coloured Handbook/Manual: Chapter 7

Emergency costs Yes Multi-Coloured Handbook: Chapter 6.2 Multi-Coloured Manual: Chapter 6.5

Infrastructure Partly Water, sewage, electricity in Multi-Coloured Manual: Chapter 6.2 Multi-Coloured Manual: Chapter 7.5

Transport Partly (road/rail) Road disruption: Multi-Coloured Handbook Chapter: 6.1; Multi-Coloured Manual Chapter: 6.3

Rail disruption: Multi-Coloured Manual: Chapter: 6.4

Agriculture Yes Defra Supplementary Guidance on impacts on agricultural land

Multi-Coloured Handbook/Manual: Chapter 9 Defra Supplementary Guidance on impacts on agricultural land (abandonment)

Multi-Coloured Handbook/Manual: Chapter 7.6 (non built-up land) Land use (including forestry, development and regeneration)

No Multi-Coloured Manual: Chapter 7.6 (non built-up land)

Indirect effects on businesses

Partly Multi-Coloured Manual: Chapter 5.9 (indirect flood losses and damage)

Environmental impacts Ecosystem services (see: environmental impacts)

Partly Ecosystems services (Environmental Valuation Handbook)

Multi-Coloured Handbook/Manual: Chapter 10 (environmental costs and benefits)

Change in status under WFD

Partly WFD supporting document?

Historic environment No

Landscape No

Social impacts Way of life Partly MCH/MCM Chapter 8 (recreational gains and losses)

Culture No

Community No

Political systems No

Health and well-being Partly Defra Supplementary Guidance on stress from flooding

Defra Supplementary Guidance on risk to life -

Personal and property rights

Partly Defra Supplementary Guidance on distributional impacts

Fears and aspirations No -

AST and impacts supporting document

ECONOMIC IMPACTS Infrastructure Types of infrastructure Consider the impacts on critical national infrastructure (see: http://www.cpni.gov.uk/) but also infrastructure of regional or local importance. Infrastructure can include (transport infrastructure is included under transport): care homes; electricity generating stations (power stations); electricity sub-stations; gas works; hospitals; local authority depots; oil refineries; police, ambulance and fire stations; pylons, cables and pipelines; schools; sewage treatment works; telephone exchanges; village halls; and water treatment works. Describing and quantifying impacts on infrastructure When describing the impacts you should consider (the amount of detail you include in your descriptions should be proportionate to the stage of development of the options and significance of the impacts to decision-making): the number and type of infrastructure affected (for example, using GIS); the area served by the infrastructure (including whether it is of critical

national importance); the location of alternative/replacement infrastructure; whether existing and alternative infrastructure have spare capacity; whether opportunities exist to divert or redirect services (or whether

infrastructure would be out of use while it is being repaired or need to be replaced);

whether the infrastructure would be lost permanently (eroded), flooded frequently such that it could not continue to be used (written-off due to flooding) or flooded infrequently such that it would need to be repaired or refurbished).

To fully describe and quantify impacts on infrastructure you are likely to need to discuss the potential impacts with the infrastructure owner or operator. It may be appropriate to make some general assumptions at an early stage of option development.

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http://www.cpni.gov.uk/


Valuing impacts on infrastructure Economic impacts on infrastructure can occur in two ways: damage to the infrastructure itself, where the impact is associated with the

cost of repairing the damage. If the asset is to be written-off, it is important that consideration is given to the services provided by that asset and the implications of its loss. You should consider whether the impacts could extend beyond the area directly affected by flooding or erosion and what this would mean to the properties currently served by the infrastructure. In many cases, the economic damages caused by write-off of key infrastructure may be better reflected by the cost of replacing or relocating it, rather than spending a lot of time and effort in estimating the effect across hundreds or thousands of properties.

damage to the services provided, where these may be interrupted causing

impacts on the people that use or rely on those services. You should also consider the knock-on effects from the temporary loss of services. Standard data are not available at present, but you may be able to use costs derived from the 2007 floods.

Knock-on effects of impacts on infrastructure There may also be social impacts due to the stress and health impacts on individuals and community effects caused by temporary (or permanent) loss of infrastructure. These impacts should be captured as part of the social impacts.

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Transport Types of transport Impacts on road and rail transport are covered in the Multi-Coloured Handbook and/or Manual as shown in Table 1. Other types of transport that could be affected by flooding or erosion include: air; and water (sea, estuary, rivers and canals). Describing and quantifying impacts on transport When describing the impacts you should consider (the amount of detail you include in your descriptions should be proportionate to the stage of development of the options and significance of the impacts to decision-making): the number or length and type of transport infrastructure affected (for

example, using GIS); number of passenger and/or freight carried; whether the transport infrastructure will be permanently or temporarily

affected; whether there are alternative routes (either by the same transport type or

other means); and importance of the transport infrastructure (including whether it is critical

national infrastructure or of regional or local importance). Transport statistics can be downloaded from http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/, or for particular modes: aviation:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/aviation/; ports:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/ports/; maritime passenger statistics:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/passengers/; and

shipping: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/shipping/.

To fully describe and quantify impacts on critical national infrastructure you are likely to need to discuss the potential impacts with the owner or operator of the transport infrastructure (for example, airport, port or marina) and the service provider (such as airlines or shipping lines).

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http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/aviation/

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/ports/

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/passengers/

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/passengers/

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/shipping/

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/maritime/shipping/


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Valuing impacts on transport It is important to remember here that you are valuing the transport services (i.e. the damages felt by users of the transport network). It may be sufficient to describe the impacts, quantifying the diversion routes and number of passengers affected as valuing the impacts can be time consuming and will require detailed discussions with the owner or operator of the transport infrastructure as standard data are not available. Knock-on effects of impacts on transport There may also be social impacts due to the stress and health impacts on individuals and community effects caused by temporary (or permanent) loss of transport routes. These impacts should be captured as part of the social impacts. Any effects due to flooding or erosion of evacuation routes or infrastructure used in emergencies (such as airports and heliports), will also need to be captured.


Land use Types of land use Impacts on agricultural land are considered by applying Defra’s supplementary guidance. Impacts may also occur on other land uses, such as forestry, development or land for regeneration. Impacts on land that is of environmental importance are considered under environmental impacts so you will need to be careful to avoid double counting impacts. Describing, quantifying and valuing impacts on land There is no readily available method for describing, quantifying or valuing the impact of flooding on production from forestry. Evidence shows that the tolerance of trees to flooding varies according to the timing of flooding, salinity, duration and velocity. Any significant impacts predicted on forests may need to be assessed through consultation with the forest managers and/or the Forestry Commission (http://www.forestry.gov.uk/). Development benefits arising from the intensification of land use should normally be excluded from the economic assessment of flood and coastal defence schemes. The primary reason for this exclusion is to preclude Government funding of works which would enable land to be developed for private gain. Where works are proposed for economic regeneration or similar purposes, there are other sources of funding available. Where land has been identified for development though and agreements are in place, then damage to the proposed development can be taken into account in the appraisal. Brownfield sites should be valued on damages to their current use, except where full planning permission is in place. You should also consider whether the future development would increase risks. Knock-on effects of impacts on land use There may be social impacts as a result of flooding or erosion of land. This could include loss of jobs. Such impacts should be described as part of the assessment of social impacts. Care is needed though to avoid transfer payments when considering impacts at the national scale (where jobs lost in one area could be replaced by jobs created in another area).

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Indirect impacts on business Types of indirect impacts Indirect impacts arise because businesses are unable to obtain supplies, thus affecting production, or to distribute finished products, thus affecting distribution. This affects the smooth running of the business and results in a disruption to its activities that will ultimately affect its profitability. These types of damages are additional to those directly related to the damages caused by flooding to the property and its contents since they relate to the services or products provided and disruption to the processes that result in those services and products. Describing and quantifying indirect impacts on businesses Indirect losses are conceptually more difficult than direct losses. Commercial firms may suffer major losses in sales but these financial losses usually do not represent national economic losses (transfer payments). In most cases, indirect impacts will be small unless the disruption lasts for a long time or a large business is affected. Indirect losses only really apply to flood risk management projects since erosion would result in loss of the commercial firm, or would force it to relocate if it was to continue its business. Where a business is expected to close, though, rather than relocate, there may be some knock on effects on trade. It may not be possible to estimate these damages in detail, but any potential significant effects should be recorded Valuing indirect impacts on businesses In most cases, indirect impacts to business are not relevant at the national level (because they are assumed to be transfer payments) or are small compared with other damages (e.g. property damages). There may be situations though where there is a significant impact on a company that needs to be taken into account in the appraisal. The Multi-Coloured Manual does not include multipliers that would allow indirect effects to be monetised. These have been provided in the past, however, e.g. in the Red Manual (one of the predecessors to the Multi-Coloured Manual). The Red Manual sets out estimated indirect flood losses to the nation (for manufacturing) based on surveys of different business types. These can be converted to a multiplier of direct damages, as shown below:

Depth of flooding Sector 0.15m 0.3m 0.6m 1.0m

Manufacturing (to the nation) 0.17 0.10 0.11 0.13 Retail 0 0 0 0

Distribution (to the region) 0.67 0.35 0.23 0.11 Leisure 0 0 0 0

Source: Parker DJ et al (1987): Urban flood protection benefits: A project appraisal guide (Red Manual), Gower Technical Press: Aldershot. Multipliers calculated by dividing direct damages by indirect damages (based on Appendix 4) for manufacturing;

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These multipliers can be used to value the indirect impacts on businesses. They are used by multiplying direct damages caused to the relevant commercial sector by the appropriate multiplier. Care is needed with the distribution figures as these relate to losses to the region (no values were available for losses to the nation). The impact of excluding the indirect impacts should be assessed as part of sensitivity analysis.

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Types of environmental impacts The Environment Agency’s Environmental Valuation handbook covers the range of ecosystem services shown in Figure 1 below (taken from the Handbook). Other environmental impacts should be identified from the environmental assessment.

P r o v is io n in g s e r v ic e s

P ro d u c ts o b ta in e d f r o m e c o s y s te m s

• F o o d• F re s h w a te r• F u e l w o o d• F ib re• B io c h e m ic a ls• G e n e t ic r e s o u rc e s

R e g u la t in g s e r v ic e s

B e n e f its o b ta in e d f ro m re g u la t io n o f e c o s y s te m

p ro c e s s e s

• C lim a te re g u la t io n• D is e a s e re g u la t io n• W a te r r e g u la t io n• W a te r p u r if ic a t io n• P o ll in a t io n

C u ltu r a l s e r v ic e s

N o n m a te r ia l b e n e f its o b ta in e d f r o m e c o s y s te m s

• S p ir i tu a l a n d r e l ig io u s• R e c re a t io n a n d to u r is m• A e s th e t ic• In s p ir a t io n a l• E d u c a t io n a l• S e n s e o f p la c e• C u ltu ra l h e r ita g e

S u p p o r t in g s e r v ic e s

S e rv ic e s n e c e s s a ry fo r th e p ro d u c t io n o f a l l o th e r e c o s y s te m s e rv ic e s

S o il fo rm a t io n N u tr ie n t c y c lin g P r im a r y p ro d u c t io n

Figure 1: Range of ecosystem services covered by the Environment Agency’s Environmental Valuation Handbook Describing and quantifying environmental impacts The Environmental Valuation handbook can be used to highlight the number and range of benefits that ecosystems provide. The Handbook is built upon information gathered during environmental assessment. Advice should be sought from Natural England where there may be negative impacts for some habitats (for example, where freshwater habitats could be replaced by brackish or saltwater habitats under do-nothing or managed realignment options, or where there would be impacts on geomorphology). You should always look for opportunities to enhance the environment and the ecosystem services it provides. Valuing environmental impacts The Environmental Valuation Handbook can be used to value environmental impacts (positive and negative). You should review the approaches set out in the Handbook to determine whether the impacts should be valued in monetary terms and whether ecosystems services is an appropriate approach to follow. It is likely that you will need advice on application of the Handbook, from people with experience of applying the Handbook, assessing ecosystem services and who understand how to value the services.

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Change in status under WFD Guidance is being developed by the Environment Agency to cover linkages with the WFD. You should ensure, though, during development of the options that you include options that work with natural processes, looking for non-structural and sustainable solutions wherever possible.


Historic environment Types of impacts on the historic environment The historic environment comprises all traces of past human activity and includes: palaeo-environmental and geo-archaeological remains (as indicators of

past climates, vegetational and landscape change); archaeological remains (including wrecks); historic buildings, parks and gardens; and historic landscapes. Records of archaeological remains are partial and many remain undiscovered. In England, a small proportion of recorded archaeological remains on land are Scheduled Monuments, under the terms of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, and a small number of submerged historic shipwrecks are protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. A small proportion of buildings are listed or contained within designated Conservation Areas; and significant parks and gardens are contained within a published Register, as are important battlefields. Historic buildings may be Scheduled under the terms of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, or contained within designated Conservation Areas; and significant parks and gardens are contained within a published Register, as are certain battlefields. Current legislation does not permit designation of some types of heritage assets, though these may be as significant as designated assets. In addition, designation is discretionary and not all nationally important arch. Sites are designated, either by listing or scheduling

Describing and quantifying impacts on the historic environment The historic environment can be a difficult category to appraise as it includes not only the heritage assets that can be seen (such as World Heritage Sites, scheduled monuments, listed buildings, Scheduled Monuments and Listed Buildings), but also their context and relationships (for example, Conservation Areas). The historical environment also includes those traces of human history that have not yet been discovered (so-called unknown archaeology). While it can be relatively straightforward to assess the impacts on what can be seen, the potential effects on unknown archaeology often have to rely on archaeological potential. You need to include (drawing on the environmental assessment): impacts on the physical assets themselves; impacts on their setting and cognitive landscapes; impacts on their inter-relationships with other historical assets; and impacts on areas where there may not be any known physical assets but

where there is potential for archaeological finds (including where any works could disrupt or damage hidden archaeology).

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Valuing impacts on the historic environment Where monetisation of the impacts is considered appropriate, it is likely to be worthwhile discussing with English Heritage/Cadw (and any other responsible organisations) what they would consider to be the most appropriate approach. This may help you to better understand the likely uncertainties, which can then be tested in the sensitivity analysis. In general the least contentious and lowest cost method of deriving a proxy for the lower bound economic value of impacts on a heritage asset as a result of a flood or coastal erosion risk management scheme can be taken as the lowest of: the cost of relocating a structure to another site (relocation loses the

setting of the feature so some negative impacts may remain); or the cost of local protection (e.g. a local flood embankment around a

heritage asset); the costs involved in excavation and recording of an archaeological site; or other mitigation measures. The use of such proxy values, however, will depend on there being broad agreement that the value of the asset in question is at least equal to the lowest of these figures. You should consult with appropriate specialists if using these approaches. For example, a specialist building surveyor may be able to provide costs associated with rebuilding a historic building. There are also benefits transfer values available that can be used to monetise the impacts caused by flooding and/or erosion. English Heritage has undertaken research (by eftec) that includes a wide range of different benefits transfer values. The study is available from: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.00100200500200a However, many of the values described in the report are likely to be of limited use given the types of impacts that result from flooding and erosion. You should ensure therefore that the valuation of the impacts is appropriate and would give you reliable estimates of the value of the impacts.

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Landscape Types of landscape impacts According to the European Landscape Convention, ‘The landscape is part of the land, as perceived by local people or visitors, which evolves through time as a result of being acted upon by natural forces and human beings. “Landscape policy” reflects the public authorities' awareness of the need to frame and implement a policy on landscape. The public is encouraged to take an active part in its protection, conserving and maintaining the heritage value of a particular landscape, in its management, helping to steer changes brought about by economic, social or environmental necessity, and in its planning, particularly for those areas most radically affected by change, such as peri-urban, industrial and coastal areas.’ (http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/Conventions/Landscape/florence_pres_en.asp#TopOfPage) For the context of appraisal of flood and coastal risk management and, landscape encompasses all the external environment including cities, towns, villages and the wider countryside. It is a combination of the visual dimension with other factors including geology, topography, soils, cultural heritage, land use, ecology, and architecture which together determine its overall character. It is therefore part of our natural, social, and cultural heritage resource base in both urban and rural areas. Landscape is also dynamic, continually evolving in response to natural or man-induced processes (source: Environment Agency). Describing landscape impacts Guidelines on assessing the landscape and the visual impacts of development projects are available from the landscape Institute (at a cost): http://www.landscapeinstitute.org/publications/index.php Issues covered by the guidelines include: integration of landscape and visual issues into the development process; the need for a transparent approach to landscape and visual impact

assessment; describing the baseline conditions; determining the magnitude and significance of impacts; and reviewing the landscape and visual components of an EIA (Environmental

Impact Assessment). Strong links are needed to the environmental assessment when describing impacts on landscape. You should also consider consulting landscape specialists and engaging with local communities when describing impacts on the landscape. There may be significant overlaps with social impacts such as sense of belonging, sense of place

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/Conventions/Landscape/florence_pres_en.asp#TopOfPage

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/Conventions/Landscape/florence_pres_en.asp#TopOfPage

http://www.landscapeinstitute.org/publications/index.php


SOCIAL IMPACTS Types of social impacts Social Impact Assessment identifies a range of different types of social impacts, including (based on International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA) (2003): International Principles for Social Impact Assessment, Special Publication Series No. 2) (http://www.iaia.org/): people’s way of life: how they live, work, play and interact with one

another on a day-to-day basis. their culture: their shared beliefs, customs, values and language or

dialect. their community: its cohesion, stability, character, services and facilities.

This could include population changes (or predicted population changes) drawing on trends in population that could affect how impacts change over time. Erosion can result in properties being lost which may affect the settlement’s ability to support its services. Over time, the services (such as schools, post office, shop, pub and church – which may also be a heritage asset) could be lost which would further affect the community and its activities. This could have knock-on impacts on culture, way of life and future aspirations.

their political systems: the extent to which people are able to participate

in decisions that affect their lives, the level of democratisation that is taking place, and the resources provided for this purpose.

their health and wellbeing: health is a state of complete physical,

mental, social and spiritual wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Disruption to infrastructure and services can have an impact in terms of health, stress and the community. Recent floods have shown that people can be killed due to flooding and that the disruption caused to family life can be significant and can last for many months, affecting family relationships. There is a body of evidence, which the Health Protection Agency has recently evaluated, which shows there are also risks during the recovery period following a flood – there are often deaths due to the strain of recovery (for example, heart attack from clean up) and there were deaths in 2007 associated with exposure to carbon monoxide as a result of use of equipment for drying out building.

There was a great deal of stress on vulnerable groups cut off from the water supply/sewage system during the 2007 floods, highlighting the mental health risk. Physical health risks associated with the need for adequate sanitation to prevent disease/illness also need to be considered. Similarly, flooding of a care home may have knock-on effects for the nearby hospital and, at the same time, flooding of the hospital could have significant health consequences for residents of the care home. Such impacts need to be considered and described. This may require

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consultation with operators and owners of infrastructure and such impacts should be considered when describing the economic effects associated with impacts on infrastructure. To value impacts on health, you should use Defra supplementary guidance on stress and risk to life to value the impacts. There is also significant work underway (from various academics but also the Health Protection Agency) to develop better ways of quantifying the long-term health impacts of flooding. This includes issues such as risks associated with exposure to contaminated floodwater or mould in damp indoor environments. The Primary Care Trust (PCT) or Health Protection Unit (HPU) will be able to tell you if there have been local studies looking at health impacts of flooding that should be taken into account. See: http://www.hpa.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=HPAweb%2FPage%2FHPAwebAutoListName&cid=1158934608011&p=1158934608011&pagename=HPAwebWrapper. Follow the following link for details of local HPA units should you wish to discuss potential health issues: http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&Page&HPAwebAutoListName/Page/1158945066055

their personal and property rights: particularly whether people are

economically affected, or experience personal disadvantage which may include a violation of their civil liberties. Changes in policy (such as a decision to withdraw funding for defences or coast protection works) have shown that exposure to risk (including increased awareness of the risk), either from flooding or erosion, causes considerable stress to property owners and can result in blight in areas such that properties are significantly devalued or can be difficult to sell.

their fears and aspirations: their perceptions about their safety, their

fears about the future of their community (including investment and regeneration), and their aspirations for their future and the future of their children.

Undertaking social impact assessment is outside the scope of appraisal for flood and coastal risk management but these types of issues should be included in the environmental assessment. They should also, therefore, be taken into account when describing the social impacts of a project. This should include engagement with affected communities to discuss the impacts of options, drawing on their local knowledge to provide insight into the negative and positive impacts (linking to the Stakeholder Engagement Plan as the planning and delivery tool for engagement). Local authority social services, community groups and the voluntary sector may also be able to help you to describe and quantify the impacts.

http://www.hpa.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=HPAweb%2FPage%2FHPAwebAutoListName&cid=1158934608011&p=1158934608011&pagename=HPAwebWrapper



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Annex 1: Worked Example of an Appraisal Summary Table

Project name Example

Project description

The timber groynes and concrete seawall along a 4km coastal frontage are in poor condition. The beach level has also reduced significantly over the past few years and there is a risk that the stability of the seawall could be affected. The promenade behind the sea wall, businesses and residential properties and other tourism infrastructure could be affected.

Option Baseline Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

Overview/ Description

Do-nothing Do-minimum to maximise residual life of the defences

Continue present management practices including maintenance of seawall and groynes with minimal beach management, recycling sand to support the toe of the seawall

Significant beach recharge to minimise renewal/maintenance of sea wall, replacement of timber groynes with rock groynes

Technical issues

None

Only possible to prevent sea wall failure through maintenance and minor repairs for 30 years due to loss of beach (which provides toe protection and aids stability)

Continuation of the maintenance programme with capital works to repair and strengthen the sea wall and replace groynes as and when necessary

Local source of sand may not be available throughout 100 year appraisal period


No intervention leading to failure of sea wall in year 19 Sea wall predicted to fail in year 49 due to ongoing erosion of beach

Sea wall not predicted to fail, beach would remain in current narrow state but should not erode completely

Local source of sand available for 20 years after which sand has to be imported from elsewhere (at higher cost)

Approaches to adaptation

None

Adaptation due to increasing costs of maintenance and repair. No adaptation for businesses or residential properties, no adaptation in terms of beach access/promenade is included within the option (but this could be added to the option through discussion with the community, stakeholders and potential project partners)

None – costs assumed to increase over time Increased beach recharge over time to minimise costs associated with need to strengthen and repair sea wall

Costs £0 £2.8 million (PV over 100 years) £8.9 million (PV over 100 years) £11.2 million (PV over 100 years)

Category Description and quantification of impacts

Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Economic Impacts

Properties

235 properties eroded by year 99, including 214 residential properties: - year 39: 5 residential, 3NRPs; - year 50: 6 residential; 3 NRPs; - year 69: 8 residential; 2 NRPs; - year 79: 29 residential; - year 89: 20 residential; and - year 99: 146 residential, 14 NRPs. Following onset of erosion of defences/promenade in year 19, blight is predicted to affect market value and saleability of properties

PV damages: £42 million to £54 million

Blight assumed at 10% to 15% from year 19

Delay of erosion by 30 years means that the number of properties lost in the 100 year appraisal period reduces to 16 (all businesses)

PV damages: £720,000 to £770,000

Blight assumed at 10% to 15% from year 49

No loss of properties within the 100 year life of the scheme

PV damages: £0

No loss of properties within the 100 year life of the scheme

PV damages: £0


Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Infrastructure

Loss of the promenade would affect tourism industry. Tourism businesses along and behind the promenade would also be lost due to erosion. Beach access points lost in year 19. Toilets lost in year 25

Tourism impacts considered transfer payment, but are likely to be of regional significance and could lead to significant loss of jobs and increased deprivation

Impacts of loss of promenade on local users is covered under recreation

Impacts same as do-nothing but delayed for 30 years

Impacts not valued

Protection of promenade and tourism infrastructure

Impacts not valued

Narrow beach may discourage future investment in the area for tourism purposes

Protection of promenade and tourism infrastructure. Beach recharge to increase width and quality of beach and rock groynes to help maintain beach should improve the quality of the site for tourism

Impacts not valued

Wider beach may encourage future investment in the area for tourism purposes. Regeneration partners support the wider beach option (contributions from regeneration funds may be available, but likely to be limited)

Transport

Local link road would be lost in year 30 following erosion affecting movement around the town. Potential impacts on harbour towards end of appraisal period that could affect shipping movements

Transport effects may be significant at the local level. Loss of harbour could further affect economy of town and lead to loss of jobs and increased deprivation. Local damages from loss of harbour estimated at £5 million

Potential for erosion to extend to harbour arm. Source of estimated damages: Harbour Master

Harbour not affected during 100 year appraisal period

Impacts not valued

Local road and harbour protected

Impacts not valued

Local road and harbour protected

Impacts not valued

Development

Regeneration area would be most significantly affected. Recent investment in the area would be lost

Sunk costs but this option would reduce the likelihood of further regeneration activities with knock-on effects for local economy


Impacts not valued

Protection of sunk regeneration investment

Impacts not valued

Narrow beach may discourage future investment in the area for tourism purposes

Protection of sunk regeneration investment

Impacts not valued

Potential for contributions from regeneration partners to fund aspects of beach recharge and widening (unlikely to cover full costs)


Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Environmental Impacts

Flora and fauna (biodiversity including fisheries)

No significant impacts expected

-

There are no designated sites behind the current defences

No significant impacts

- No significant impacts

-

Disturbance to intertidal fauna during construction of rock groynes. Post-construction, rock groynes may provide additional boulder-like habitat

Impacts not valued

Soil No significant impacts expected




-

Water

Potential for release of contaminants associated with business use behind promenade (includes petrol station and car repair garage). Beneath promenade is made ground of unknown content

Impacts not valued; release of contaminants could have implications for downcoast Blue Flag beach

Assumed that made ground beneath promenade is inert


Impacts not valued

No release of contaminants compared with do-nothing. Protection of Blue Flag beach downcoast

Impacts not valued

No release of contaminants compared with do-nothing. Protection of Blue Flag beach downcoast

Impacts not valued

Air No significant impacts expected

-

Some construction activities would have temporary (and limited) effect on air quality and for 30 years only

Impacts not valued

Impacts from construction over the lifetime of the scheme at periodic intervals

Impacts not valued

Impacts from construction over the lifetime of the scheme with significant activities early on to widen the beach (needed for access to construct rock groynes). Rock groynes should then help maintain the wider beach

Impacts not valued


Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Geology and coastal processes

Coastal processes allowed to continue 'naturally'. This will result in development of an embayment behind the existing defence line

May be constraints on coastal processes where there is debris from erosion (e.g. of promenade, infrastructure, etc.). It is assumed that buildings are demolished and debris removed with costs paid for by the owners of the buildings

Coastal processes prevented from proceeding for 30 years. After this time, initial erosion rates could be higher potentially catching up with those under the do-nothing option

Impacts not valued

Do-minimum option assumes erosion does not proceed at a faster rate once it begins. This is likely to be conservative in terms of damages under do-nothing

Insignificant impact on coastal processes

-

The proposed temporary works would be likely to require a licence under FEPA since it would constitute a new deposit

Impacts not valued

Use of natural resources

No resources used under this option

-

Annual maintenance works would increase with limited use of natural resources

Impacts not valued

Replacement of groynes with sheet-piled timber groynes. Waste disposal of removed groynes. Toe protection structures also need to be constructed

Impacts not valued

Replacement of steel and timber groynes with rock groynes. Disposal of arisings to be on the beach.

Impacts not valued

Climatic factors

Carbon expended to rebuild properties and infrastructure eroded could be significant

-

Carbon emissions minimal in any one year and only continue to year 30. Carbon expended to rebuild properties and infrastructure once eroded could be significant

Impacts not valued

Carbon emissions may be significant due to groyne replacement and wall strengthening works. Carbon saved by protecting properties (no need to rebuild/replace) could also be significant

Impacts not valued

Carbon emissions may be significant due to rock groyne construction. Carbon saved by protecting properties (no need to rebuild/replace) could also be significant

Impacts not valued

Landscape

Change in landscape as promenade and hinterland erode. Loss of businesses and properties results in change to character of area

Impacts not valued (some may be captured under recreation impacts)

Assumption that buildings are demolished means debris will be reduced


Impacts not valued

Beach remains narrow (as at present) in short-term and should be maintained due to groynes. Landscape remains generally as at present

Impacts not valued

Beach would be widened. Rock groynes could cause visual impact changing the views of the water; and the existing local landscape character

Impacts not valued


Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Social Impacts

Way of life

Loss of a key recreation site for the community would result in impacts on more than 750,000 visits per year. Some of these may move to the Blue Flag beach downcoast (3 miles away) such that there are minimal impacts on beach users/leisure visitors. Main impact is on people using the promenade as a walk into the town centre (200,000 visits per year)

Total damages of £94,000 per year. PV damages of £1.4 million (based on losses occurring after year 19)

Visit estimate based on site counts and car park statistics (provided by local council). Value per visit lost of £0.47 is used from (DfT , Guidance on the Appraisal of Walking and Cycling Schemes based on willingness to pay for segregated (traffic-free) cycle route


PV damages reduce to £500,000 due to delay of erosion to year 49

Benefit in terms of recreation trips that are saved

PV damages: £0

Beach recharge combined with actions to help retain sand on the beach is likely to result in improvements in amenity value

Assuming 77% of 550,000 annual visits would be willing to pay gives 423,000 at £2.01 each, or total benefits per year of £850,000. The scheme would be complete after five years giving PV benefits of £22 million

The Yellow Manual includes willingness to pay values for Hastings, based on a survey undertaken after improvement works had been justified. This is very similar to the existing situation. The values for Hastings are as follows, with 77% of all visitors found to be willing to pay these figures: - value of protected beach: £9.34 per visit; and - value of 'today's visit' (visit on day survey was taken): £7.33 This gives benefits of the works of £2.10 (£9.34 - £7.33)

Culture

Damage to listed buildings (2 Grade II* listed buildings in year 99 and a church in year 79). The area is also on the edge of a Conservation Area due to its row of Georgian houses

Impacts not valued


Impacts not valued

Listed buildings and church would not be lost during 100 year appraisal period

No damages compared with do-nothing

Listed buildings and church would not be lost during 100 year appraisal period



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Community

Main impact is on tourism businesses and residential properties (many of which have been converted into flats). The area is currently deprived and is a target area for regeneration. Loss of 215 residential properties would have a significant impact on the community and is likely to increase deprivation

Impacts not valued


Impacts not valued

Properties would not be eroded so community would remain largely as present. Lack of investment due to narrow beach (when compared with nearby Blue Flag beach) could affect investment in area and could result in continued deprivation


Properties would not be eroded so community would remain largely at present. The wider beach could encourage investment in the local area (building on the benefits of the regeneration work undertaken to date)


Discussions are on-going with regeneration partners and key tourism businesses to seek contributions for beach widening works

Political systems

The area has very low turnout for elections and organisations have significant difficulty in involving the community in regeneration activities. There is a risk that the do-nothing option could further alienate the residents, reducing their trust in authorities and reducing their involvement in local decision-making even further

Impacts not valued


Impacts not valued

Residents unlikely to become more involved. Likely to remain as at present


Residents unlikely to become more involved, actions would be taken to involve businesses in the project as potential contributors



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Health and well-being

It is assumed that people would move out of their homes before they are eroded so there would not be direct risk to life. However, there could be considerable stress impacts due to blight. This has been shown to cause impacts such as: - loss of self-esteem; - loss of self-efficacy; - loss of community distinctiveness; and -loss of continuity.

Impacts not valued, but could be considerable. Some of the impacts are already seen in the community due to existing stresses (e.g. lack of jobs). Do-nothing would exacerbate the situation

Impacts based on NNDC (2008): North Norfolk Coastal Management Plan - Evidence Gathering Study 01

Impacts same as do-nothing but delayed for 30 years, although there is a greater opportunity for partnership working to enable adaptation to erosion impacts

Impacts not valued, but could be considerable (if delayed)

Under this option, most residents are unlikely to be aware of the erosion risk so this option would not increase stress above present levels. There may a risk of injury due to the drop that exists between the top of the sea wall and the low sand level

Impacts not valued

Under this option, most residents are unlikely to be aware of the erosion risk so this option would not increase stress above present levels. Risk of injury reduced as beach level would be higher

Impacts not valued, but risk of injury is reduced compared with Option 2

Personal and property rights

Loss of property rights for 215 households (although many may rent). Loss of property value could discourage landlords from investing in their properties such that their tenants may face additional difficulties such as health and safety implications where landlords fail to undertake essential repairs. Tenants would also suffer stress associated with having to move out of their home. The area is deprived being ranked 812th of the Super Output Areas

Impacts not valued, but could be significant on some of the most vulnerable members of the community

Deprivation ranking from Office of National Statistics (2007 dataset)



No impact on property rights. Landlord responsibility for their premises likely to remain as at present


No impact on property rights. Landlord responsibility for their premises likely to remain as at present



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts



Value of impacts


Fears and aspirations

Do-nothing would discourage investment in the area from existing or new businesses such that the outlook for the community in terms of jobs is poor

Impacts not valued, but could be significant on some of the most vulnerable members of the community



Lack of investment in tourism in the area due to low quality beach could have knock-on effects in terms of job retention. The community is not very mobile and may not be able to commute to similar jobs should they move to the Blue Flag beach (may also be some redundancy if tourism is consolidated to the Blue Flag beach with some overall loss of numbers of jobs)

Impacts not valued, but could be important at the local scale

Potential for investment in tourism in the area could have knock-on effects in terms of job creation. Consultation is on-going with regeneration partners

Impacts not valued, but could be important at the local scale

Would you like to find out more about us, or about your environment? Then call us on 08708 506 506* (Mon-Fri 8-6)

email [email protected] or visit our website www.environment-agency.gov.uk incident hotline 0800 80 70 60 (24hrs) floodline 0845 988 1188 * Approximate calls costs: 8p plus 6p per minute (standard landline). Please note charges will vary across telephone providers Environment first: This publication is printed on paper made from 100 per cent previously used waste. By-products from making the pulp and paper are used for composting and fertiliser, for making cement and for generating energy.

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