Retreat from high-risk areas

This measure refers to the retreat or relocation of settlements, infrastructure and productive activities from the original location due to high exposure to risks such as flood, sea-level rise and storm surges. It is considered in particular in coastal areas. In southwestern France, a shoreline road in the municipalities of Sète et de Marseillan (Languedoc-Roussillon region) was moved inland as it was threatened by erosion of the beach. This allowed the reconstruction of a larger beach and dune system, which together should provide greater protection against erosion. The work was completed in 2012.Another approach is to provide compensation or support for private owners whose homes are threatened. An example is seen in the UK, where erosion is threatening cliff-top settlements in East Anglia and Norfolk counties on the eastern coast of England. In Happisburgh, Norfolk, UK authorities decided not to take action against cliff erosion. Instead, under the ("https://coastadapt.com.au/sites/default/files/case_studies/SS21_Managin…;) North Norfolk Pathfinder project, ten owners of cliff-top homes at risk received compensation to relocate inland. The project also relocated a caravan site and a parking lot and redeveloped access routes to the beach under the cliffs.Where threatened shoreline buildings are unauthorised, a common situation in several southern European Member States, their removal can be part of the response. For example, the municipality of Almada, Portugal, south of Lisbon, has planned to the removal of unauthorised homes built along the beach and exposed to Atlantic storm surges, with the resettlement of owners in a historical village and restoration of beach and dune characteristics to provide protection.In a long-term perspective, spatial planning and building permissions can incorporate provisions for managed retreat. One approach is the use of ‘setback’ requirements. The ICZM Protocol to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection Of The Mediterranean Sea calls on Parties to establish a zone where construction is not allowed. This zone should be set taking into account ‘climate change and natural risks’ (Art. 8).  In the US, the California Coastal Act and its implementing rules call local governments to establish requirements that new buildings be located a minimum distance from the shoreline. In a dynamic approach, these types of requirements could be linked to erosion rates or sea-level rise, thus steadily moving the no-construction zone further inland. Where governments intervene in insurance markets (see financial instruments), they could include provisions that requiring relocation when properties are damaged in extreme events: thus, insurance payments would be used to build structures in areas with lower risks.