Building trust in shoreline management: creating participatory consultation in shoreline management plans

This article canvasses the arguments in favour of a more active and conciliatory approach to consultation than is generally the case for resource allocation and environmental decision-making in the UK. It looks at the experience of consultation in shoreline management and flood defence decision-making in East Anglia, England. It concludes that there are many different ways of conducting and justifying mediation, but that there are strong social, political and economic arguments for widening the consultative arrangements and ensuring a more face to face participatory role for representative interests.