3 November 2024

‘Together we can make a difference’: coastal communities urged to join £15m project

People who live or work on the East Riding coast are being asked to get involved in a project to help respond to the impacts of coastal erosion and create communities for the future.

East Riding Council has secured £15 million of funding up to March 2027 to help communities and businesses respond to the impacts of coastal erosion both now and in the future.

Through the Changing Coasts East Riding project, the council wants to bring people together with a team of specialists to explore how to design and create communities that are resilient to the impacts of coastal change.

  • Examples of the activities that could be funded through the project include:
  • Improving our shared understanding of current and future coastal erosion risk.
  • Replacing and relocating community assets at risk from coastal erosion.
  • Delivering small-scale community housing schemes.
  • Investigating temporary uses of coastal land for community use and/or habitat creation.
  • Exploring new ways of financing coastal transition.
  • Working with individual communities and businesses to develop bespoke long-term coastal transition plans.
  • Developing a long-term plan for sustainable coastal transition in the East Riding.

The list is not exhaustive, and East Riding Council wants to talk to communities and businesses about their needs and how they see their community in the future. It is vital that communities share their ideas, so that they are at the forefront of the decision making and planning process.

The Changing Coasts East Riding team will be holding drop-in sessions across the region during October and November:

  • Wednesday, October 11: Skipsea Village Hall
  • Thursday, October 12: Barmston Village Hall
  • Tuesday, October 17: Aldbrough Village Hall
  • Thursday, October 19: Atwick Village Hall
  • Monday, October 23: Withernsea Meridian Centre
  • Wednesday, October 25: Easington Community Hall
  • Thursday, November 2: The Cross Keys, Cowden

All the sessions run from 2pm to 7pm. They will provide a first chance for residents, business owners and visitors to the coast to find out more about the project and to tell the team their priorities for how the project is taken forward.

More information about the project can be found at eryc.link/changingcoasts.

Councillor Barbara Jefferson, East Riding Council’s portfolio holder for heritage and coastal, said: “I would urge everyone to become involved with this as it affects us all and future generations to come.

“It is an exciting opportunity not to be missed. Together we can make a difference.”