The Hayling Island Coastal Management Strategy gets underway – Preparing for a resilient future

The Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership (ESCP) as part of Havant Borough Council (HBC) is developing the next iteration of its Coastal Management Strategy, which aims to continue to sustainably address coastal flooding and erosion around Hayling Island.

The project team have been successful in securing £410,000 of funding to deliver the Coastal Management Strategy. This will be divided between Government funding allocated by the Environment Agency (EA) and Havant Borough Council (HBC) funding from Community Infrastructure Levy.

The aim of the strategy is to:

  • Develop strategic coastal management options for Hayling Island for the next 100 years
  • Outline a programme of investment to reduce the risk of coastal flooding and erosion to people living on the island
  • Identify the potential funding sources and partners required to deliver that investment programme and be open and honest about where funding is likely to be a challenge
  • Incorporate adaptation strategies, as defence improvements will not be possible in all locations 
  • Be holistic, yet flexible for both people and nature
  • Respond to future changes, support sustainable development on the island and take into account predicted sea level rise and climate change
  • Make a partnership approach central, between HBC, EA, Natural England (NE), Landowners, businesses and local communities, making sure local needs and priorities are at its core.

The ESCP is a partnership between Havant Borough Council, Portsmouth City Council, Gosport Borough Council and Fareham Borough Council. This innovative initiative is made up of a centralised team of specialist coastal officers and engineers working as one team to manage 162km of coastline across the Eastern Solent.

Councillor Leah Turner, Cabinet Lead for Coastal Communities, said: “I am delighted that the project team were able to secure funding for this important strategic piece of work in the borough. Climate change poses a significant challenge to Hayling Island, and this strategy will identify the most sustainable management approaches for the next 100 years.”

Why is a strategy needed?

Being an island community, climate change is one of the largest challenges Hayling Island will face. If not planned for or managed correctly this could have significant impacts on the economy, the environment, public health and the existing way of life on Hayling. Recent climate change predictions suggest there will be a continued rise in sea levels well into the next century which will affect the Hayling coastline significantly.

With no flood defences in place, over 950 properties are currently at flood risk on the island from an extreme tidal flood event. By 2120, with sea level rise and climate change, this figure rises to over 2,450 properties at risk from coastal flooding during a similar extreme event and over 530 properties at risk from coastal erosion on Hayling Island. Access and egress on and off the island to the mainland via the sole road bridge connection (A3023) is also at risk.

Have your say

The ESCP would like to hear from anyone who lives, works or spends time along, or has an interest in, the Hayling Island coastline. We want to hear your comments and thoughts to help us understand your views on coastal flood and erosion risk on the island, what you feel the main areas of concern are together with understanding the wider coastal opportunities. This will help us to justify potential future coastal management measures on the island. Please visit our website to fill out our survey: www.escp.org.uk/HI-strategy

We are also interested in seeing your historic photos of the Hayling Island coastline, particularly any storm damage or flooding images. You can share these by uploading them in the questionnaire.