This paper reports preliminary results of a study that investigated the issues that old landfills located within a coastal setting in southeast England present to future shoreline management plans. The study was based on three case study sites, selected from a total of over 148 historic landfill sites that intersected the 1 in 200 year tidal floodplain in the study area and 61 sites threatened by erosion (under a no active intervention policy scenario) in the next century. One site is currently on a cliff top and is eroding into the sea. The second landfill sitsbehind an existing coastal defence structure and is constraining options for managing and adapting the shoreline management plan. The final site is an example where a landfill is protected by informal coastal defence structures in a low wave energy environment. The impact of potential sea level rises over the next 100 years are considered in the context of landfill management and shoreline management planning
