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Policies - Natural ProcessesObjective : to continue to improve the understanding of natural processes and the response of the coastline to change so that sustainable management decisions can be made.The Sefton Coast is dominated by the effects of the two major estuaries of the Mersey and Ribble. Formby Point is the meeting zone of the two major estuarine regimes. Tidal streams converge offshore, with the result that a large inter-tidal sand spit, Taylor's Bank, has developed. Taylor’s Bank marks the division between the two shoreline management plans exisitng along the Sefton Coast. Although natural processes are large scale and dominating, the coastal zone has been considerably influenced by the construction of training walls for the rivers Mersey and Ribble, dredging, land-claim and coastal defence works. Shoreline management must be based on a good understanding of natural processes and an identification of issues and options for management. Sefton’s coastal defence strategy has been informed by the Sefton Coast Database and other more recent datasets. The database was a collation of all existing research, literature, plans and records relevant to the coastal hydrodynamics of the Sefton Coast at that point in time (early eighties). A numerical model of waves, tides and currents along the Sefton coast has been developed in the past but requires updating. A conceptual study of the sediment dynamics of the coastal zone is proposed. Sediment dynamics considerations will help inform the development of the Shoreline Management Plans and will address issues of concern to coastal managers, landowners and the general public such as;
· The causes and trends of erosion at Formby Point with options for management. All partners agree to the need for responses to coastal defence issues based on an understanding of coastal processes. The Sefton Coast Database is undergoing revision and is being transferred into electronic format, this task will take a number of years to complete.
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