5.3.1
Coastal development & defence
a.
Extent of the activity
Coastal Development
Development along the
coast is generally focussed on existing
settlements. Along the coastline there
are also a number of caravan sites and
other forms of holiday accommodation that
were developed principally during the 1960s.
Water-based development within the SAC
is generally associated with the existing
harbours at Aberaeron and New Quay. Other
harbour / boating facilities adjoining
the SAC are centred on Aberystwyth and
the Teifi estuary.
In response to development
opportunities arising from EU Objective
1 funding, local organisations have mooted
the possibility of developing Aberaeron
and New Quay harbours. Such proposals would
be subject to environmental appraisal to
determine their potential to impact on
the bottlenose dolphins (as well as their
wider environmental impacts).
The framework for the
planning of development is outlined below.
The potential impacts of new development
on water quality is dealt with in under ‘Effluent
Disposal’.
Coastal Defence
The Shoreline
Management Plan will provide information
about coastal processes that will nform
decisions about coastal defence requirements.
b.
Mechanism for effect on the feature
Coastal developments,
especially those that relate to harbours
and foreshores, have the capacity to have
a localised effect upon the dolphin population
during their construction. Possible effects
are increased noise and permanent changes
to dolphin habitat, e.g. as a result of
possible effects upon coastal processes.
In addition, activities associated with
new development might also have direct
impacts upon the dolphin (e.g. water based
developments). See ‘Recreational
Activities’, and ‘Commercial
Boat Trip Operators’.
Any coastal
defence projects arising from the Shoreline
Management Plan could give rise to increases
in noise, short-term changes to water quality
and changes in sediment processes which
could in turn have localised impacts on
the dolphin and its behaviour.
c. Management
Response
i. Rationale
The coastline bordering
the Cardigan Bay SAC is of exceptional
landscape quality. It includes a range
of coastal scenery - high cliffs, open
coast, sheltered bays and the entrance
to the Teifi estuary. Development is focused
around a number of coastal towns and villages
and their associated tourist developments.
Much of the coastline is undeveloped although
there are areas where there is pressure
for recreational and residential development,
particularly close to existing settlements.
The development of land
(to mean low water mark) is regulated through
the planning system. This system reconciles
the needs of development, encouraging the
optimum use of existing resources and the
principles of sustainability.
The Planning
Framework:
The planning
system is operated primarily by local authorities;
Ceredigion County Council, Pembrokeshire
County Council and Pembrokeshire
Coast National Park Authority. The
National Assembly for Wales has reserve
and appellate powers, together with advisory
functions.
Local Authorities
Local Authorities prepare
development plans to guide future development.
The development plans which apply to the
Cardigan Bay SAC are:
This sets out strategic
policies.
These set out detailed
policies to guide development together
with proposals for specific sites. The
Ceredigion Local Plan will not become a
formal adopted plan and will retain advisory
status. The PCNPA local plan was adopted
in 1999.
In general, local planning
policies place great emphasis on the high
quality of the natural environment and
seek to promote sustainable development.
Specifically, the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire
County Council Local Plans [120]
provide that any proposals for water-based
development will only be permitted where:
-
there is no
adverse effect on public safety
-
there is no
adverse effect on nature conservation
or visual amenity interests of the
coast, in particular the candidate
SAC areas. (In relation to the SAC,
the Habitats Directive does not in
any event generally permit developments
which will have adverse effects on
the sites features)
-
there is no
adverse effect on beach, foreshore
or inshore activities.
Structure and Local Plans
will be replaced in due course by Unitary
Development Plans (UDPs). To assist in
the preparation of UDPs in mid and west
Wales, a Strategic Planning Forum has been
formed to establish a planning framework
for the preparation of individual UDPs.
The Forum has adopted a general objective
of developing UDP strategies, policies
and proposals that fully reflect the principles
of sustainability, and move towards the
principles of sustainable development [121]
.
Proposals for the development
of land, including the change of use for
buildings, require planning permission.
Applications are made in the first instance
to local planning authorities who are required
to determine applications in accordance
with the development plan, unless material
considerations indicate otherwise. Material
considerations include advice given by
central government and the National Assembly
for Wales in Planning Guidance (Wales)
and circulars. Specific advice relevant
to the Cardigan Bay SAC is given in Technical
Advice notes concerning coastal planning
and nature conservation. [122]
Shoreline
Management Plans
The system of plans also
provides a framework for dealing with coastal
defence. Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs)
set out a strategy for sustainable coastal
defence within a ‘sediment cell’ (in
this case the Cardigan Bay Cell, which
covers an area between Bardsey Sound, Gwynedd
and St. Ann’s Head, Pembrokeshire).
As far as the southern part of Cardigan
Bay is concerned, two SMPs are currently
being prepared (covering Ceredigion and
Pembrokeshire) that will provide guidance
on coastal defence, taking account of natural
coastal processes, coastal defence needs
and environmental considerations. The main
objectives in preparing the SMP are to:
-
improve understanding
of coastal processes;
-
predict the
likely future evolution of the coast;
-
identify all
assets which are likely to be affected
by coastal change;
-
identify research
and survey requirements; and
-
facilitate
consultation between those bodies
with an interest in the shoreline.
Operations identified
within SMPs must be compatible with the
conservation requirements of the cSAC.
Plans and
Projects
The Habitats Regulations
[123] require that development
and development plans are considered against
the conservation importance of the SAC.
See ‘Plans
and Projects’.
It is not possible to
anticipate the exact nature of development
proposals that might be submitted to the
local planning authorities and these will
need to be considered on a case by case
basis within the context of relevant policies
and procedures. However, the most likely
type of proposal at the waterside might
be expected to relate to works or enhancements
to existing harbours and coastal protection.
There are certain procedures
that planning authorities (as Competent
Authorities) are required to undertake
in order to fulfil, in part, the requirements
of the Habitats
Regulations.
ii. Type of
response
F1 :
Development proposals constitute a plan
or project.
iii. Actions,
including links to other policies / plans
/ measures
- Treat relevant
coastal development as a Plan or Project.
- Review extant
planning permissions.
- Follow procedures
outlined in TAN
(5) when dealing with applications
for planning permission affecting the
SAC.
- Ensure that
the SAC is taken fully into account
in the preparation of Unitary Development
Plans (UDPs) for Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
- Ensure that
the SAC is taken fully into account
in the production of the Shoreline
Management Plan.
- Carry out an
appropriate environmental assessment
of any coastal protection/defence projects
likely to affect the Cardigan Bay SAC.
[120]
Ceredigion Local Plan, Policy TRC28, Preseli
Pembrokeshire Local Plan, Policies RL8 & RL7
[121] ‘Draft
Strategic Planning Statement’, Mid & West
Wales Strategic Planning Forum (Sept. 1998).
[122]
Planning Guidance (Wales): Technical Advice
Notes (Wales) - Coastal Planning (14);
Nature Conservation and Planning (5) (See
also Figure
15).
[123]
The Conservation (Natural Habitats &c)
Regulations 1994 |
