EU demo on ICZM: Integrated management of the Kent coast

Stretching from industrialised Thames-side, the gateway to London, to the unique cuspate shingle foreland of Dungeness on the English Channel, Kent has the longest and probably the most varied coastline of any county in England. It includes wide stretches of saltmarsh and grazing marsh of international significance for wildfowl and wading birds, tiny fishing harbours and international passenger ferry and cargo ports, major industries, including paper-making, oil refining and chemical production, traditional seaside resorts, sites of national importance for maritime archaeology, and the White Cliffs, symbolic of both Kent and England. The population is concentrated in two conurbations: the Medway Towns - population 240 000 - situated astride the estuary of the Medway and including Chatham, once home to the Royal Navy, and Thanet - population 120 000 - the birthplace of the English popular holiday. Smaller coastal centres include Folkestone - adjacent to the entrance to the Channel Tunnel - Dover, the traditional but now declining gateway to France - and Whitstable, centre of oyster production since Roman times. With such a range of varied interests, there is considerable potential for conflict along the Kent coasts, and hence a paramount need for an integrated strategy.