Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP)

A drone-eye view of a cliff landslide, a mass on earth onto a beach with residential dwellings and at the top of the cliff.

Communities to trial innovative ways of adapting to coastal erosion

The Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP) will explore how we can adapt to the effects of climate change on the coast.

From 2022 to 2027, East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk will receive funding to work with communities on the coast that cannot sustainably be defended from coastal erosion.


CTAP is part of the government's National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. The Strategy’s vision is for England to be a nation ready for, and resilient to, flooding and coastal change - today, tomorrow and to the year 2100.

Why now and why do we need to do something different?

England has some of the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. Coastal erosion is a natural, ongoing process that has been happening for thousands of years. But with sea levels continuing to rise into the next century, the rate of coastal erosion in some places will accelerate.

For some coastal locations it will unfortunately no longer be technically or economically feasible to provide protection from flooding and coastal change.

As the risks of erosion increase and accelerate with climate change, we need to explore now how local authorities can work with and support people living, working and using coastal areas that cannot sustainably be defended in the long term.


The coastal transition accelerator programme aims to:

  • accelerate strategic planning (and associated action planning) to set out how the coastal local authorities, partners and communities will address the long-term transition of communities, businesses and assets away from the coastline at risk
  • support the trialling of early on the ground innovative actions in support of medium and long term plans, that enable those coastal areas at significant risk to address the challenges posed by a changing climate


The two coastal projects

The two local authorities who are part of the initial phase of the CTAP programme are East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk. These two locations have the highest erosion rates in England and large numbers of homes and businesses at risk. East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk contain 84.1% of all residential properties at risk of coastal erosion in the next 20 years.


How the two projects will innovate

Local authorities will collaborate with residents and businesses to prepare and plan for the long term. There will also be some immediate adaptation actions that support the long-term resilience of communities near the coast.

Such interventions might include:

  • rolling back' property and facilities at immediate risk of coast erosion
  • improving and replacing damaged community infrastructure, such as beach access or coastal transport links and replacing public or community owned buildings in areas at risk with removable, modular, or other innovative buildings
  • repurposing land in coastal erosion zones for different uses such as temporary car parks and restoring and creating habitats
  • working with the finance and property sectors to explore innovative finance or funding mechanisms to help move communities away from rapidly eroding areas, for instance schemes to incentivise the relocation of at-risk infrastructure for businesses and homeowners
  • using the local planning system so it supports and facilitates managed transition of existing development, enables new adaptable development where it is appropriate and restricts unsustainable development in areas at risk from coastal erosion

How we will embed the programme learning

Between 2023 and 2027, the participating local authorities will:

  • capture evidence, tools and learning from the implementation of innovative practical coastal transition actions
  • share this learning with other coastal authorities to support coastal transition activities in other locations across the country.

Progress will be measured through project-level monitoring and evaluation frameworks and a Defra-led programme level evaluation.

Communities to trial innovative ways of adapting to coastal erosion

The Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP) will explore how we can adapt to the effects of climate change on the coast.

From 2022 to 2027, East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk will receive funding to work with communities on the coast that cannot sustainably be defended from coastal erosion.


CTAP is part of the government's National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. The Strategy’s vision is for England to be a nation ready for, and resilient to, flooding and coastal change - today, tomorrow and to the year 2100.

Why now and why do we need to do something different?

England has some of the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. Coastal erosion is a natural, ongoing process that has been happening for thousands of years. But with sea levels continuing to rise into the next century, the rate of coastal erosion in some places will accelerate.

For some coastal locations it will unfortunately no longer be technically or economically feasible to provide protection from flooding and coastal change.

As the risks of erosion increase and accelerate with climate change, we need to explore now how local authorities can work with and support people living, working and using coastal areas that cannot sustainably be defended in the long term.


The coastal transition accelerator programme aims to:

  • accelerate strategic planning (and associated action planning) to set out how the coastal local authorities, partners and communities will address the long-term transition of communities, businesses and assets away from the coastline at risk
  • support the trialling of early on the ground innovative actions in support of medium and long term plans, that enable those coastal areas at significant risk to address the challenges posed by a changing climate


The two coastal projects

The two local authorities who are part of the initial phase of the CTAP programme are East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk. These two locations have the highest erosion rates in England and large numbers of homes and businesses at risk. East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk contain 84.1% of all residential properties at risk of coastal erosion in the next 20 years.


How the two projects will innovate

Local authorities will collaborate with residents and businesses to prepare and plan for the long term. There will also be some immediate adaptation actions that support the long-term resilience of communities near the coast.

Such interventions might include:

  • rolling back' property and facilities at immediate risk of coast erosion
  • improving and replacing damaged community infrastructure, such as beach access or coastal transport links and replacing public or community owned buildings in areas at risk with removable, modular, or other innovative buildings
  • repurposing land in coastal erosion zones for different uses such as temporary car parks and restoring and creating habitats
  • working with the finance and property sectors to explore innovative finance or funding mechanisms to help move communities away from rapidly eroding areas, for instance schemes to incentivise the relocation of at-risk infrastructure for businesses and homeowners
  • using the local planning system so it supports and facilitates managed transition of existing development, enables new adaptable development where it is appropriate and restricts unsustainable development in areas at risk from coastal erosion

How we will embed the programme learning

Between 2023 and 2027, the participating local authorities will:

  • capture evidence, tools and learning from the implementation of innovative practical coastal transition actions
  • share this learning with other coastal authorities to support coastal transition activities in other locations across the country.

Progress will be measured through project-level monitoring and evaluation frameworks and a Defra-led programme level evaluation.

Page last updated: 03 Jul 2023, 02:57 PM