Coastal Erosion Check by Postcode: Shoreline Plan Policy

Enter a postcode and this check asks the Environment Agency's National Coastal Erosion Risk Map whether the postcode point sits on a mapped coastal frontage and, if so, which Shoreline Management Plan policy applies to it in the periods to 2055 and 2105: hold the line, managed realignment or no active intervention. Most addresses are inland and return no frontage, which is the normal answer, not an all-clear for flooding or ground movement.

No signup. Postcode-point query of the Environment Agency's National Coastal Erosion Risk Map 2024 (England), published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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What this check reads

The Environment Agency's National Coastal Erosion Risk Map 2024 (NCERM), published under the Open Government Licence. It maps the English coast as frontages, each carrying the Shoreline Management Plan it belongs to, its policy unit, and the policy for the medium term (to 2055) and long term (to 2105), under present-day climate and under a high climate-change allowance. This check asks whether any frontage lies within about 150 metres of the postcode point and, if so, prints the plan, the unit and the two policies.

The three policies, in plain English

PolicyWhat it means on the ground
Hold the lineDefences are intended to be maintained or improved so the shoreline stays roughly where it is. The question becomes who pays and whether the plan is funded.
Managed realignmentThe shoreline is allowed to move back in a planned way, usually with a new defence line set inland. Properties between the old and new lines are the ones to ask about.
No active interventionNo public defence works are planned. Erosion continues at the natural rate for the geology, and the plan's projected erosion distances are the figure to find.

What a coastal frontage means for a buyer

Four questions follow from a frontage result. Is the property inside a Coastal Change Management Area, where the council restricts development and may require roll-back plans? What are the plan's projected erosion distances for this unit to 2055 and 2105, and how far is the building from the present cliff edge or defence? Will the lender accept the frontage policy over the mortgage term? And what does the coastal flood mapping say? Erosion and flooding are different hazards and a seafront address should be checked for both.

Not on a mapped frontage: what that does and does not mean

It means the postcode point is more than about 150 metres from any frontage the map carries, so no Shoreline Management Plan policy applies to it directly. It does not mean the address is safe from coastal flooding, which is mapped separately, nor that the ground is stable. Ground movement is a separate British Geological Survey screen, not part of this map. For an inland address this is simply the normal answer.

What the report adds

The Lite and Complete reports carry a Coastal erosion section on a managed coastline (the shoreline management plan, the policy unit and the policy for each epoch, including how it changes under the high climate-change allowance) alongside the two sections a coastal buyer needs next: flood risk (mapped zone, surface-water band now and in the 2050s, recorded flood extents and the defences nearby with their recorded condition) and ground stability (landslides, shrink-swell clay and the other natural ground hazards rated for the surrounding area, with the distance to the nearest higher-rated cell). Check the flood history and ground stability for the same postcode, or read what an environmental search covers.

Frequently asked questions

What do 'hold the line', 'managed realignment' and 'no active intervention' mean?
They are the Shoreline Management Plan policies for a stretch of coast in a given period. Hold the line: defences are intended to be maintained or improved so the shoreline stays roughly where it is. Managed realignment: the shoreline is allowed to move back in a planned way, often with new defences set further inland. No active intervention: no public money is planned for defences, so natural erosion continues. Advance the line, rarely used, means new defences seaward of the present shoreline.
Does 'no active intervention' mean the house will be lost?
Not on any given timescale. It means nobody plans to defend that frontage, so erosion proceeds at the natural rate for that geology: centimetres a year on some hard coasts, metres a year on soft cliffs. The National Coastal Erosion Risk Map publishes projected erosion distances for each frontage under different climate allowances; the policy here is the first question, the projection and the distance of the house from the cliff edge are the next two.
Why does my seaside postcode say 'not on a mapped frontage'?
The map's frontages are narrow strips along the shoreline, and this check looks within about 150 metres of the postcode point. A street two or three hundred metres back from the sea is outside them, which is a true answer about erosion (the frontage is not under the house) but says nothing about coastal flooding, which is mapped separately. A postcode on the seafront or clifftop will return the frontage.
Does coastal erosion affect getting a mortgage?
It can. Lenders ask their valuer about the risk of loss over the mortgage term and some decline frontages under 'no active intervention' or inside a Coastal Change Management Area, where councils restrict new building and extensions. Ask the council whether the property is in such an area, ask the seller what the plan's projections say for the unit, and raise it with the lender early.
What is the difference between coastal erosion and coastal flooding?
Erosion is land being removed by the sea: a cliff retreating, a beach lowering. Flooding is the sea coming over or through defences onto land that stays where it is. They are mapped by different Environment Agency layers and have different consequences: erosion is permanent loss, flooding is an insurable event. A coastal address should be checked for both.
Does this cover Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. The National Coastal Erosion Risk Map is an Environment Agency product for the English coast. Natural Resources Wales publishes the Welsh coastal erosion and Shoreline Management Plan layers, Scotland's evidence base is Dynamic Coast, and Northern Ireland has a coastal-erosion risk appraisal. A postcode outside England returns a 'not covered' answer rather than a false 'not at risk'.

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