Southern Coastal Group & SCOPAC
Regional Coastal Group for central southern England
Advising & influencing
A source of expertise on matters relating to the coast, for the benefit of Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCC) and other stakeholders
Research & development
Successfully developing and delivering research within and beyond the Group boundaries in relation to coastal zone management and monitoring
Sharing knowledge
Aiming to be the natural and chosen forum for coastal practitioners to discuss coastal management problems and share best practice
Portland Bill to Selsey Bill
including the Isle of Wight
The Southern Coastal Group and SCOPAC is the Regional Coastal Group for central southern England.
As a technical group principally comprising coastal managers, planners and others with a knowledge of shoreline management, our primary objective is to be a source of expertise, advice and influence to the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees and other stakeholders on matters relating to the 648 km coastline between Portland Bill in Dorset and Selsey Bill in West Sussex, including the whole of the coastline of the Isle of Wight.
SCOPAC Research & Group Programmes
LATEST ONLINE
Aggregate dredging in the SCOPAC region
2025-2026 · An update on the re-licensing of aggregate extraction areas in the South Coast
CCO extreme water level assessment and comparison with the Environment Agency Coastal Flood Boundary Dataset (2018)
2025-2026 · Dr Thomas Dhoop and Elizabeth Warwick-Champion, Channel Coast Observatory
Assessing the performance of Basralocus installed in the Bournemouth groyne field
2025-2026 · Dr John Williams of RSK, commissioned by BCP Council / South West Flood and Coastal
Latest News
New Coastal Planning training launched
The Environment Agency and the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) have developed two new e-learning modules on coastal planning for planners, coastal practitioners and flood risk professionals working in the public sector.
Working with nature: challenges of working in a changing climate on coasts and estuaries
Join the RGS’s free online panel event on 4 November to discuss the challenges of working with nature on coastal and estuaries. As the number of nature based solutions and ecological engineering are growing, how well do they work in practice in standing up to extreme weather and climate change?
Quick links
SCG and SCOPAC Regional SMPs
Durlston Head to Rame Head SMP16
Hurst Spit to Durlston Head SMP15
Selsey Bill to Hurst Spit SMP13
Isle of Wight SMP14
East Sussex & the South Downs SMP12
Links above lead directly to the government’s SMP Explorer website launched in 2024; for further information about regional SMPs please visit southerncoastalgroup-scopac.org.uk/smps
SCG PSC Frameworks
The Southern Coastal Group has set up two Frameworks to help provide access to services and suppliers for coastal projects and engineering works.
SCOPAC Sediment Transport Study
Covering the coastline between Start Point, Devon and Beachy Head, East Sussex. 2012 update, published 2017