§ Mr. GummerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in her discussions with the Environment Agency on coastal protection, what definition she has used for the phrase, Coastal Squeeze. [15812]
§ Mr. MorleyIn the context of coastal defence, the term "coastal squeeze" is taken to refer to the process whereby, in the face of rising sea levels, an area of intertidal habitat, such as saltmarsh, mudflat or saline lagoon is prevented from migrating landwards owing to the presence of a hard boundary such as a sea defence.
(This description is set out at page 17 of Flood and Coastal Defence Project Appraisal Guidance, Volume 5, Environmental Appraisal (FCDPAG5)).