Decision

The submission of an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Environment Agency’s Coastal Adaptation Programme for £75,000 to deliver a LiDAR-enabled drone coastal cliff monitoring project across priority complex cliff adaptation sites along the North Yorkshire coastline is approved, subject to acceptable terms and conditions.

Reasons for the decision

As a Risk Management Authority, North Yorkshire Council has a duty under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to act in a manner consistent with the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. The proposed LiDAR-enabled drone monitoring project supports this duty by strengthening the evidence base for managing coastal erosion risk within complex cliff adaptation areas and enabling informed, risk-based adaptation planning where active intervention is not appropriate.

Alternative options considered

Should an Expression of Interest not be submitted the proposed LiDAR-enabled drone monitoring project would not proceed, and the Council would remain reliant on infrequent regional airborne LiDAR data. This would limit the ability to monitor complex cliff change effectively, delay the provision of up-to-date risk information, and reduce the Council’s capacity to support timely adaptation planning and meaningful engagement with communities in coastal adaptation areas.