Introducing the Slapton Line Partnership

Many Start Bay residents will be aware of an organisation called the Slapton Line Partnership. Others, who perhaps haven’t been in the area for so long, might not have heard of it. So as part of our continuing efforts to provide readers with the background to help them understand where we find ourselves, and how we got here, this 5-minute primer will explain who and what the SLP is and what it does.

The Slapton Line Partnership was formed in 2001 to:

• Promote a co-ordinated policy for managing coastal change in and around Slapton Sands;
• Ensure that appropriate contingency plans and preparations are maintained for responding to erosion events;
• Promote a range of adaptation activities and projects in anticipation of future change;
• Ensure that suitable expertise, research and intelligence is available to inform decision making;
• Promote public awareness and community engagement in the coastal management and adaptation process;
• Assist the member organisations in meeting their statutory duties in the management of the area.

The Partnership is made up of staff and officers from Devon County Council, South Hams District Council, South Devon National Landscapes Unit, Field Studies Council, Wild Planet Trust, Natural England, and the Environment Agency, together with elected representatives from Devon County, South Hams, and the three parish councils that surround Start Bay: Strete, Slapton, and Stokenham.