Holderness Coast case study

Question (8 marks): Using a UK case study, examine the success of coastal management strategies in protecting a coastline. (8)

Mark scheme (Levels-marked, max 8):

• Level 3 (6–8 marks): Detailed, accurate case study; thorough examination of both successes and limitations; specific places, schemes, costs and figures; clear conclusion.
• Level 2 (3–5 marks): Some accurate detail; partial examination; limited place-specific evidence.
• Level 1 (1–2 marks): Generic; no/weak place detail.

Indicative content (Holderness, East Yorkshire):

• Context: Fastest-eroding coast in Europe; ~1.8 m/yr average, up to 10 m/yr at Skipsea; soft boulder clay cliffs; long northerly fetch.
• Successes: Bridlington (4.7 km sea wall + groynes) protects the tourism economy; Hornsea defences shelter 8,000 residents; Easington gas terminal (rock armour) safeguards 25% of UK gas supply; Mappleton (1991, £2 million) saved the village and B1242 road.
• Failures / limitations: Mappleton's groynes starved Cowden of sediment — cliffs there now retreat ~3.8 m/yr; Great Cowden has lost 30+ houses; Sand-le-Mere caravan park repeatedly relocated; settlements like Skipsea (no active intervention under SMP) lose property without compensation, raising environmental justice issues; Spurn Head spit growth disrupted by reduced sediment.
• Judgement: Defences are highly successful locally for high-value assets but redistribute erosion, so overall coastal management on Holderness is a zero-sum trade-off rather than a net solution — the SMP must increasingly favour realignment as sea level rises.