Alde & Ore Futures project

Suffolk's coastal communities are facing a range of social and economic challenges including a soft eroding coastline and the future impacts of climate change.

Whilst flood and erosion risks are managed through the Shoreline Management Plan and Estuary Strategies, the needs of the local communities, economy and visitors are much more complex. Currently there is no overall framework to bring this together and plan holistically for the future.

Alde & Ore Futures is a pilot project involving a partnership between coastal communities and the Suffolk Integrated Coastal Zone Management Initiative (ICZMI) - or Suffolk Coast Futures for short.

The aims of the project are to:

• Find new ways for the community and those with duties and powers to work together for the future of the Alde and Ore area.
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• Start to identify and tackle the long term issues by developing a framework that links together with other plans and strategies.
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• Co-ordinate effort for community consultations.
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• Find new ways to combine national, public and private funding to benefit the area.
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• Improve the way decisions are made about the future of the area.
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• Celebrate success and pass on the lessons from this approach.

Alde & Ore Futures project area

The project area includes 20 towns and parishes:

What will the project deliver?

• An overall framework plan or 'route map' to address the long term issues identified by the community.
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• A joint approach to resolving future funding needs.
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• Progress to improve the governance and policies for coastal areas.

How will the project work?

In order to ensure that there was an opportunity for representatives of interested parties to be involved a community conference was held in September 2009 at Snape Maltings. The event was held to raise the profile of the project, to help identify why local people value the area, collate the issues and concerns so new ways can be developed to manage the area in the future.

Five 'task and finish' working groups, chaired by members of the local community and involving both volunteers from the community and officers from the ICZMI partner organisations, were set up to look at five topic areas in order to find out what matters most to people living and working in and around the estuary.

The working groups met to share their experiences, pinpoint the issues that are important to them, and come up with ideas that could help deal with the challenges likely to affect those living in the Alde and Ore area in the coming years.

A second community conference held at Snape Maltings in March 2010 enabled the topic area working groups to report back on their work identifying the issues and possible solutions. This is an important stage of the ongoing programme on the development of an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) approach to the long term management of the coastal zone. 

The chairs and lead officers are working to identify prospective opportunities between the topic areas and address the issues that cannot be dealt with within each area. All recommendations need to be both legal and fundable. It has been recognised that innovation will be required to create multiple source funding and an initial workshop was held on 18 May 2010 to start to address this element of the project.

The Estuary Planning Partnership of the Alde and Ore (new window) will support the communication with the community and act as a ‘sounding board’ for the project. Formed in 2004 this joint community, local authority and agency group was set up to improve communication with the community around the estuary.

The work on the Alde and Ore Futures will be presented to the Executive group of the Suffolk Coast ICZM Initiative, which has representation from both elected members and senior officers from the local authority and agencies for adoption, where appropriate.

Alde and Ore Futures project timetable

• Phase 1
  Assemble data and brief key stakeholders - end July 2009.
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• Phase 2
  Community conference - 4 September 2009.
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• Phase 3
  Initial topic area meetings - 30 September 2009.
  Completion of topic area meetings - 28 February 2010.
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• Phase 4
  2nd community conference with the completion of
  first draft shared objectives - 26 March 2010.
  1st draft framework plan - mid July 2010.
  Start of public consultation - August 2010.
  Completion of consultation - tbc.
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• Phase 5
  Review of consultation - tbc.
  Plan ready - Autumn 2010.

Contact the Alde & Ore Futures project

If you would like more information about the project please contact:

Bill Parker,
Suffolk Coast Futures Officer,
Email: aldeandorefutures@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Telephone: 01394 444553.

Suffolk Coast Futures is a partnership involving: