CHANGES are to be made to the way in which a scheme to protect a stretch of the North-East coast operates.

The Heritage Coast Service stretches from Saltburn, in east Cleveland, to Flamborough Head, on the border between North and East Yorkshire. It was set up in October last year to help preserve the coastline, famed for its links with dinosaurs and Captain Cook, as well as its picturesque villages and towns.

The scheme has as its main aims coastal defence works, conservation and recreation schemes, and the protection of the coastal environment, as well as boosting tourism and opportunities for people living in coastal towns and villages.

However, national discussions on the future of Britain's coastline have suggested the need for a more integrated approach to coastal management.

As a result the authorities involved in the North-East project - Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Scarborough Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council, the National Trust, English Nature and the Environment Agency - are being recommended to approve plans to extend the scheme at a cost of £4,000 each per year.

Currently, the authorities have a steering group which is supported by the Heritage Coast Working Group, which co-ordinates all the activities.

The scheme will change its name to the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Coastal Forum and will meet once a year. A series of sub groups, including an executive group and working groups with individual remits, will meet throughout the year and deal with the day-to-day running of the forum's projects.

Consultation among the groups involved suggests there is widespread support for the idea.

The authorities are expected to approve plans at individual meetings in the New Year.