ATTIYA REHMAN

Hard and Soft engineering techniques

Hard engineering: St Margarets at Cliffe, in Kent The beach is made from flint pebbles eroded from the chalk cliffs that extend for miles on either side. There is a lot of longshore drift in the area so measures must be taken to stop the pebbles from moving up the coast. If management techniques are not used, there is a risk that it will be eroded and leave the coast vulnerable to undercutting. Two forms of hard engineering are in use in this area. Hard engineering options tend to be very expensive and have a high impact on the environment. Hard engineering aims to completely block waves and their effects but this can cause erosion on the beach in front of them. There is a concrete sea wall to protect houses from landward erosion and wooden groynes to trap pebbles as they move across the beach. It has high chalk cliffs, made from a relatively soft and easily eroded rock. The cliff base is protected by a concrete wall with a curved lip to reflect the force of breaking waves, and the concrete wall is then protected by a series of wooden groynes. Several houses, a pub and other buildings lie between the sea and the cliffs, and more houses are located along the top of the cliffs so hard engineering has been employed to protect them all.

ATTIYA REHMAN

Soft engineering: Cley next the sea Managed to prevent coastal flooding and protect the wetland habitat. Soft engineering is used to protect the coast at Cley next the sea. Soft engineering options are less expensive than hard engineering options. They are usually more long term and sustainable with less impact on the environment. The North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan introduced by the Environment Agency has proposed a number of strategies in the light of continual erosion and predicted rising sea levels caused by global warming. These include soft engineering strategies such as: Advance the line Hold the line Managed retreat Managed retreat involves doing nothing and the coast is allowed to suffer erosion, deposition and flooding naturally. This is an option considered when the last is of low value and there are no significant risks to the people. Even after extensive public consultation there is widespread local concern that the marshes, with their unique wildlife, will be irretrievably lost to the North Sea.