by John Prince
The value of protecting coastal communities from the advancing sea – and what could be lost if that protection disappears – is being examined as part of a £15 million project along the Holderness coast.
Residents have been taking part in workshops exploring the wider impact of coastal erosion, including the importance of protecting homes, businesses, local services and the communities that depend on them.
Changing Coasts East Riding (CCER), delivered by East Riding Council, aims to help communities prepare for coastal change over the next 100 years.
The project, funded by Defra through the Government’s £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes, is already producing practical results.
At Skipsea, development is well under way on nine affordable homes at Church Farm (below), around a mile inland, with priority being given to residents who have lost, or are at risk of losing, their properties to coastal erosion.
The £3.1 million development includes five two-bedroom bungalows and four two and three-bedroom houses, with an £800,000 contribution from CCER alongside funding from the council, Homes England and housing association Broadacres.
The homes will be available for social rent, allowing people threatened by erosion to remain in their local area rather than having to move away.
At Aldbrough, the project has also purchased and demolished a property in Seaside Road because of the advancing coastline, with plans to explore how the land might benefit the community before it is eventually lost to erosion.
These developments form part of a wider effort to help communities adapt to the loss of land, infrastructure and services along one of Europe’s fastest-eroding coastlines.
The council’s coastal monitoring programme uses drones, aerial surveys and 3D laser scanning to measure changes to the cliffs and existing sea defences.
In Hornsea, strategic studies are being developed to strengthen future applications for funding.
These studies will also examine the “social value” of sea defences – looking beyond the cost of protecting individual properties to consider their wider importance to communities and the local economy.
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This is particularly relevant to Hornsea, where the existing shoreline management policy is to maintain the town’s defences over the long term, subject to funding.
However, much of the surrounding coastline remains undefended.
Concerns have been raised about falling beach levels, particularly near the northern end of Hornsea’s promenade, where the defended frontage meets the unprotected coastline.
Lower beach levels reduce natural protection against waves, contributing to increased erosion and overtopping of sea walls (below).
Rising sea levels and winter storms are adding to the challenges facing coastal communities, while future decisions about strengthening defences will depend heavily on demonstrating their economic and social benefits.
Further studies commissioned through CCER will examine the impact of erosion on agriculture, tourism and energy, helping to inform longer-term decisions.
Although CCER funding cannot be spent on building new sea defences or maintaining existing ones, the project is helping communities adapt to coastal erosion while gathering evidence that could support future investment in coastal protection.
For communities along the Holderness coast, the challenge is not simply understanding how much land might disappear over the coming decades but recognising what that land – and the communities living on it – are worth beyond their financial value.
