Embracing sustainable solutions to coastal protection in England will be a challenging step for some communities, Environment Minister Elliot Morley has said.

The minister said that communities must accept that change is inevitable, and embrace plans to allow coastal erosion to take place rather than hanker after maintaining the "status quo".

Launching the government's revised guidance on Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) in Dorset, Mr Morley acknowledged the natural resistance that people feel towards change, but emphasised that coastlines are dynamic and that it's not a realistic option to preserve the whole coast exactly as it is indefinitely.

"Our coastline has been shifting since the Ice Age as part of a natural process that has seen losses and gains to coastal areas," Mr Morley said. "Climate change and sea level rise pose significant challenges, and the issue is how to engage with people in addressing the implications of change and understanding the options there are for adaptation.

"By adopting a sustainable approach it is possible to reduce both uncertainty and losses, but this requires a willingness to accept that solutions might not necessarily mean maintaining the status quo".

SMPs set policy at a local level for the strategic management of flood and erosion risk. They encompass four principal approaches:

• Holding the existing line, by maintaining or changing the standard of protection
• Advancing the existing line, by building new defences on the seaward side of original defences
• Managed realignment, by allowing the shoreline to move backwards or forwards through controlled movement
• No active intervention, where there is no investment in coastal defences or operations

When SMPs were first developed 10 years ago they were an innovative step towards better understanding the coast and the need for strategic planning. The revised guidance launched today takes account of the latest science and information available as well as future challenges. It includes a shift from a look ahead of 50 years to one of 100 years, better linkages with the statutory planning system and more effective stakeholder engagement on preferred policies and their likely consequences.

The revisions are in line with the principles behind 'Making Space for Water', the government's strategy for flood and erosion risk management, which makes sustainability a priority.