EFRA Committee Report

Risk & Policy Analysts welcomes the publication of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report on the impact of coastal erosion on coastal communities, developed as part of their inquiry into climate and weather resilience. 

RPA was one of 64 submissions to the Committee’s call for evidence and one of only two consultancy firms to respond, reflecting our commitment to advancing resilience of individuals, communities, properties, infrastructure and ecosystems facing the increasing risks posed by coastal erosion. 

We were pleased to see the Committee acknowledge our points on community impacts: while relocation services for social housing reduce physical impacts, psychological effects run far deeper. The trauma of displacement, anxiety of living under constant threat, and grief of losing homes and familiar landscapes can erode personal identity: effects rarely captured in conventional risk assessments. 

On the economic valuation of coastal communities, the report recognises that the wider risks and benefits of mitigation are not adequately reflected in the Environment Agency’s FCERM Capital Investment Programme. The true social and economic value of coastal communities (particularly those reliant on tourism) is not captured by traditional cost-benefit analysis, something RPA is actively addressing through its work to develop a new economic approach to valuing coastal communities for the Resilient Coasts project. 

The report also rightly acknowledges that impacts extend well beyond tourism. Coastal regions host nationally important infrastructure, such as renewable energy, ports, gas terminals and nuclear power stations.  The location of these, and need of coastal communities for the accommodation of workforces, further underscores the potential national-scale impacts that coastal erosion can have, emphasising further inclusion within future FCERM policy guidance.  

At a headline level, we welcome the Parliamentary-level acknowledgement within the reports conclusion that past FCERM funding arrangements have provided limited support for coastal management, despite the pressures faced by coastal communities in the face for a changing climate. We also welcome the report’s recommendation that Defra set out how non-monetised benefits for coastal erosion will be incorporated into the new FCERM funding model, and look hope to see this through changes made in the coming months. Furthermore, we look forward to seeing how outputs from our innovative work for the Coastwise and Resilient Coasts projects can help to inform this process.  

If you would like to know more about what we included in our submission, or the flooding and coastal erosion risk management services that we provide, please feel free to get in touch.

Erosion of trust: the impact of coastal erosion on communities