Climate change is affecting Scotland now. Adaptation planning is essential to safeguard our communities and assets.
The Scottish Government has committed £11.7m to support local authorities in developing Coastal Change Adaptation plans. The amount each authority has received is available here: CCAF summary). New guidance is published here to support local authorities through this process.
CCA Fund
Dynamic Coast research anticipates coastal erosion to increase under all emissions scenarios. So, both adaptation and mitigation are essential and urgent activities.
Local Authorities are expected to receive £11.7m of funding to develop Coastal Change Adaptation Plans and to undertake resilience and adaptation actions, using Nature-based approaches wherever possible.
In 2022-23 £1.6m has been allocated to ten coastal local authorities with the most assets at risk.
In 2023-24 £1.85m has been allocated to remaining coastal local authorities and £550k has been shared in support of local case-studies to help advance our understanding of coastal change adaptation.
In 2024-25 £1.65m has been allocated to 19 coastal local authorities to advance Coastal Change Adaptation work and £1.05m has been shared in support of local case-studies to help advance our understanding of coastal change adaptation.
In 2025-26 £2.5m has been allocated to 19 coastal local authorities to advance Coastal Change Adaptation work, £1.36m has been shared in support of local case-studies to help advance our understanding of coastal change adaptation and £1.1m has been allocated to fund coastal LiDAR surveys to update our understanding of the risks and inform CCAPs.
climateXchange have undertaken research into local authorities’ awareness of coastal change adaptation, how funding has been used and explored barriers to this work. Find out more via CXC webpage and research report.
CCA Plans
Awareness of the need for CCAPs is high across the 24 coastal local authorities.
One authority has completed its plan (Moray Council), and two other local authorities started their CCAPs in 2023/24 (Highland Council and Scottish Borders).
Another six authorities have started (or are expecting to start) their CCAP in 2024/25. These include Argyll and Bute, Orkney Islands, North Ayrshire, East Lothian, South Ayrshire and City of Edinburgh.
CCA Guidance
The Scottish Government has developed guidance to support local authorities in the preparation of Coastal Change Adaptation Plans.
These plans attempt to go further than Shoreline Management Plans, by considering the adaptation required to safeguard our coastal communities and assets as our climate and coast continues to change.
Supporting materials
A range of new materials are available to help authorities and partners start Coastal Change Adaptation.
Click on the following links to find out more:
Further knowlege-exchange events and materials will be available in the future.
Case Studies
Case studies allow local authorities to develop and share learning on how to undertake coastal change adaptation. In 2024-25, £1m is shared between ten case studies. These join eight authorities which received £550k funding in 2023-24.
Some explore community engagement aspects, whilst other are using the latest technology to inform trigger points and guide adaptation actions.
Council updates (2023-24):
Council updates (2024-25):
Council updates (2025-26):
Authorities can download a reporting template here.
Funding may also be available to support these actions from:
- Remainder of the CCA Capital Fund 2024-26 via coastal local authorities
- * New Funding* Nature Restoration Fund £12.5m a year funding to restore habitats that address biodiversity and climate change.
- £80k to St Andrews Links Trust for sand dune enhancements
- £350k to Angus Council for sand dunes enhancements
- Coastal Communities Fund – contact your local authority
- Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF)
To find out more about adaptation see Adaptation Scotland or contact the Dynamic Coast team.