Coast protection

Management of the Sussex Coast between Selsey Bill and Beachy Head is guided by a Shoreline Management Plan.  This was first approved in 1997 and then updated in 2005/6.  The new Shoreline Management Plan will provide a planning framework for the coast for the rest of the 21st Century.

Lewes District has a coastal frontage of 14.5km extending from Saltdean in the west to Cuckmere Haven in the east. Most of the coast consists of high chalk cliffs, where the South Downs meet the sea, but there are low lying areas around the estuary of the River Ouse between Newhaven and Seaford.

The cliffs have been subject to erosion by wind, wave and tide for many centuries. Erosion rates are typically around 0.3 metres (1 foot) per year, but do vary from place to place.  The erosion is episodic, with significant cliff falls followed by several years of stability.

Responsibility for coast protection - that is, measures against erosion, not safeguarding against flooding from the sea - rests with Lewes District Council, who cover 9.7km of the District's 14.5km frontage.

Newhaven Port and Properties are responsible for Newhaven Harbour and the mouth of the Ouse, which they maintain for navigation purposes.

The Environment Agency are responsible for Seaford Bay from the mouth of the Ouse along to Splash Point, Seaford. On this frontage, a shingle beach forms the primary defence against the sea. The Agency recycle shingle annually to ensure that the beach provides good protection for the town.  At the far eastern end of our coastal frontage, the Agency also maintain the beach at Cuckmere Haven.

The District Council's coast defence works focus on the frontage from Saltdean to Peacehaven. A 50 year strategy has been prepared which recommends a short length of new coast defences at Telscombe together with a major renewal programme for the existing defences at Peacehaven.  These will protect property assets along the cliff top. This strategy was approved by DEFRA in October 2003. Government grant aid has been obtained for a first phase of improved coast defences in 2008/0.  This will involve works to renew the existing defences at Peacehaven.

The cliffs between Peacehaven Heights and Newhaven, and at Seaford Head, do not have any coast defences, nor are any proposed. In these locations, there is little or no development and the cliffs will continue to erode naturally.

A Coast Defence Strategy is being prepared for the frontage between Newhaven and Seaford Head, and the tidal Ouse up as far as the A27 road. This work is being led by the Environment Agency and, amongst other things, will consider the long-term strategy for Seaford Beach. The District Council has been an active partner in this work.  Following consultation on a range of options, the preferred approach is to retain the current programme of beach recycling at Seaford and to renew the tidal river flood banks up the river from Newhaven to Lewes.  A final document is awaiting approval by the Agency's National Review Board.

The Channel Coast Observatory (CCO) is a new initiative to provide strategic coastal monitoring for the whole coastline of South-East England from Dorset around to the Thames Estuary. The CCO co-ordinates and manages a range of databases on coastal conditions (eg. wave data, aerial photographs, beach profiles) to assist work by partner organisations. These partners comprise DEFRA, the Environment Agency and over 30 local authorities, including Lewes District Council. Many of the databases are available to the public through the CCO website link below.

LDC's policy on flood and coast defence sets out our overall approach.  It was last updated in September 2007 and can be seen below under the Relevant Documents subheading in both PDF and Word format.

External Links

The Environment Agency:
www.environment-agency.gov.uk

The South Downs Coastal Group:
www.sdcg.org.uk

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/

The Channel Coast Observatory's website:
www.channelcoast.org