Safeguarding the Solent

Coastal Partners actively participates in partnerships and initiatives across the Solent, with the aim to reduce the increasing number of pressures on the coastal environment.

Alongside the RHCP, the Environment Team has been working with the Blue Marine Foundation on the Endangered Landscapes Programme. This programme enables the restoration of some of Europe’s most important landscapes and collectively we are working to reconnect various habitats of the Solent. These habitats, which include seagrass meadows and saltmarsh, have become fragmented due to commerce and recreation on the UK’s busiest network of harbours.

Coastal Partners are also members of the Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature (CHaPRoN) initiative. Working towards the vision for Chichester Harbour in 2050, we are testing the feasibility of restoring damaged saltmarsh habitats at Langstone Village and opening up conversations with landowners around the Harbour to identify coastal habitat creation opportunities.

The Southern Water Summit is another growing initiative the Environment Team plays a key role in. Here, senior leaders from organisations across the catchments of Langstone, Chichester and Pagham Harbours are working together to agree on a shared action plan for improving water quality and natural habitats.

“The South-coast of England is steeped in cultural heritage. Working alongside organisations like Coastal Partners we are ensuring that these special historic places can be enjoyed for generations to come.”

Iain Bright, Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Historic England

Hayling Island Coastal Management Strategy 2121

Preparing for a resilient future

Hayling Island is located on the South Hampshire coast in the Borough of Havant. The Island has approximately 38km of coastline and a population of over 17,000. As an island community, climate change is one of the largest challenges Hayling Island is facing. It poses a significant threat to the economy, environment, health and way of life. Current predictions are that rising sea levels due to climate change are to significantly increase the level of coastal flood and erosion risk on the island.

The story so far...

In 2019, funding was secured from the Environment Agency and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to develop a coastal management strategy for Hayling Island.

The aim of the Hayling Island Coastal Management Strategy 2121 is to produce a sustainable cohesive strategy for managing flood and coastal erosion risk for Hayling Island for the next 100 years.

In the summer of 2020, AECOM Consultants were enlisted to provide professional support to the project. To date, the Coastal Partners team have collated and assessed current data to establish our baseline. Modelling has been undertaken to assess flood and erosion risk, which has lead to the identification and appraisal of a range of management approaches for the Island.

The project is in the process of identifying a short-term priority programme of works for Hayling Island over the next 10 years along with a longer-term action plan to manage tidal flood and erosion risk, and identify sustainable, credible and cost-effective approaches to managing coastal risks until 2121. As we respond to future coastal change from sea level rise and climate change, the Strategy will also need to incorporate adaptation strategies, as defence improvements will not be possible in all locations. Sandy Point, Hayling Island

Next steps

In the Autumn of 2022, the project team will carry out a number of public engagement events to consult on the draft strategy. In early 2023, the final strategy will be confirmed before being submitted to the Environment Agency and Havant Borough Council for approval.