Drones could monitor Yorkshire coast as part of government scheme

​The drones, which would have laser mapping technology, could be deployed across complex coastal cliff zones in North Yorkshire if a council’s application for funding is approved.

​The £75,000 funding application has been submitted to the Environment Agency to deliver an enhanced coastal monitoring project across priority, complex cliff adaptation sites by North Yorkshire Council.

​At a meeting on Thursday, June 25, Cllr Malcolm Taylor, the executive member for highways and transportation, signed off on the application to the EA’s £12 million coastal adaptation programme.

​Currently, NYC relies on biennial drone monitoring but this is supplied through the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes and the data is often limited in complex cliff environments due to vegetation cover, infrequent capture and delays between data collection and delivery.

​North Yorkshire has some of the fastest eroding coastline in Europe and several communities, including those at Flat Cliffs in Filey, are facing “significant risk to residential property, access routes and essential infrastructure”.

​If approved, the funding will be used to train three officers and to procure a professional LiDAR-enabled drone and associated software, training and licensing, specialist data and processing and analysis.

​The scheme would allow more frequent and efficient data capture and provide “better monitoring of vegetated and landslide-prone complex cliffs and enable faster processing and analysis to support effective risk management and community engagement”.

​The council’s shoreline management policy for the affected coastal sites is one of “no active intervention, meaning no new coastal defences are planned”.

​“As a result, effective monitoring of cliff instability and erosion is essential to inform adaptation planning, early warning, evacuation planning and community engagement,” officers noted.

​A report added: “The project will support North Yorkshire Council in improving the evidence base for coastal adaptation planning, evacuation planning and coastal strategy updates, strengthening communication of coastal erosion risk to communities living within complex cliff zones.”