Landscape and Seascape Character Assessment Hub

England’s coastal landscapes, ranging from sandy beaches to dramatic cliffs, and the views to and from the seas that surround them, are among our most loved landscapes. However, demands and resulting pressures on our seas and coastal environments are increasing, with 95% of our international trade delivered by ship, most of our digital information delivered by marine cables and offshore wind becoming the UK’s leading source of electricity generation for the first time in 2024. Climate change and the biodiversity crisis continue to have a fundamental impact on the character of England’s marine and coastal areas. The direct impacts caused by rising sea levels, increased flooding and coastal erosion, and the increase in offshore wind in the drive to a low-carbon economy requires adaptative approaches to coastal management.

Planning for the future of our marine area is essential in ensuring our seas and coasts are managed in a sustainable way. Competing demands on the marine and coastal environment, need to be managed using an integrated approach, from both the marine and terrestrial planning systems. These include the changing context of the marine area, associated with economic, environmental, and social factors connecting changes to its seascapes, natural and cultural heritage and the resources it provides.

Thinking strategically about the future of our marine and coastal landscapes and the ongoing change from future development or the impacts of climate change, needs a consideration of the changing character of our landscapes and seascapes, how people value seascapes and landscapes and the ability of those places to accommodate change.

The Seascape Character Assessment (SCA) process offers a holistic understanding of seascape character, at a variety of scales, from large marine plan area SCAs to local district or county SCAs. SCAs, which offer an analysis of the natural, cultural and perceptual influences on our seascapes, can play a key role in manging positive change in future by guiding decisions affecting our marine and coastal environments, underpinning policy in England’s Marine or Local Plans.

For more information read our scene setting paper about how SCA can guide positive change now and in the future.

Please click here to access the Future Seascapes page.