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How will coastal change affect your business?

Coastal change is not a new thing – it has helped to create the beautiful coastal landscape that we enjoy.  Our cliffs, beaches and estuaries have always been eroded and shaped by natural processes and human activity, including flood defences, ports and piers.

However, the rate of natural processes affecting coastal change is increasing.  Sea levels and sea surface temperatures are rising and intense rainfall events are becoming more frequent, leading to increased erosion and coastal flooding.  Good scientific data is now available to substantiate this view.  Wave heights and storm frequency may also increase in the future, accelerating erosion even further.

These ongoing changes have implications, both positive and negative, for the coastal tourist industry.  Whilst many processes may be beyond your individual business’ control, there are some simple things you can do in order to ensure that you are able to make the most of the positive aspects of coastal change, whilst increasing your resilience to the risks.

What could happen?
What can you do?
Where to get more information

Shifting Shores (National Trust)

Living with a Changing Coastline - a National Trust Briefing from Bruce Rawlings on Vimeo.

What could happen?

  • Sea level rise and storm surges will increase the risk of coastal flooding, directly affecting some seafront businesses (damage to buildings, stock, access for deliveries, parking, power supply interruptions etc), whilst also affecting visitor access to beaches, promenades and coastal roads.
  • Repeated coastal flooding may result in reputational harm of your resort or local area.
  • Increased coastal erosion could bring unusual benefits to your area.  For example, fossil hunters are attracted to the Jurassic Coast after storm events and cliff-falls.
  • Coastal erosion, especially as land slippage, damages footpaths and other coastal infrastructure (including roads and railways), which will require more frequent maintenance or possibly re-routing.  This may inadvertently damage the visitor experience.
  • Increased coastal erosion could lead to more rock-falls and unstable cliff-tops, posing health and safety risks to visitors. Coastal erosion may also directly threaten some cliff-top businesses
  • Shifts in sand and shingle may affect beach volumes, altering the shapes, sizes and texture of some beaches – a key visitor attraction.
  • Sea level rise will alter natural habitats along coasts and estuaries, prompting changes to the mix of wildlife – a key attraction for bird-watchers and wildlife enthusiasts.  For example, saltmarsh and mudflats (important habitats for birds) may be lost or reduced in size as sea level rises. Of course, they may be replaced by equally interesting habitats.
  • Coastal flooding and beach changes may directly affect beach businesses such as cafes, car parks and surf shops.

Somerset’s Changing Coast from Kevin Redpath on Vimeo.

What can you do?

Preparing for the risks:

  • Check your flood risk using the Environment Agency’s website:  If you are at risk, take a look at the ‘Flood’ pages of this website, which contain lots of useful advice and information relevant to any type of flooding, including coastal.
  • Checking you are fully insured is particularly important.  Discuss your requirements with your insurer and be aware that not all insurance companies have the same approach to coastal erosion and business cover.
  • Find out more about the management plans for your area.  All sections of the coast now have a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), which includes a large-scale assessment of the risks and lays out the plans to help reduce these risks to people and the environment.  For more information, see the Environment Agency website or the list of SMPs in the south of England under Where to get more information below.
  • Find out if there is an emergency plan for your town or village and, if there is, see how it relates to you and your business.
  • If visitors usually reach your business via a key coastal road or rail line that may be at risk from erosion, consider alternative routes or a contingency plan that you can share with your visitors should the transport link be disrupted.
  • If you are concerned that your property is at significant risk from coastal erosion (i.e. may be lost), you should contact your local authority to find out what support is available.  You may be eligible for a coastal erosion assistance grant which provides a small degree of financial support, via local authorities, towards the costs of demolition and some basic moving costs.

Taking advantage of the opportunities:

  • Think about opportunities to tailor your product, visitor offer and marketing to make the most of the changing landscape in your area.  For instance, you might be able to interest visitors in the local history and landscape by making a feature describing how the area has changed over time.
  • Get together with other local businesses to identify opportunities to celebrate coastal change and ensure that key aspects such as footpaths and information boards are maintained.
  • Help your visitors to understand the risks if you are near unstable cliffs and provide them with a range of ideas for activities in your area so that, should access to beaches and cliffs be restricted at any point (either due to cliff instability or poor bathing water quality), they know about alternative activity options.

What could happen?
What can you do?
Where to get more information

Where to get more information

General information

Flood protection supplies (goods and services)

For a list of suppliers of flood protection products and services, see: National Flood Forum – Blue pages directory and Kitemark

Shoreline Management Plans:

General information

River Medway & Swale Estuary

Isle of Grain to South Foreland

South Foreland to Beachy Head

Beachy Head to Selsey Bill (South Downs) 

Selsey Bill to Hurst Spit (North Solent Shoreline)

Isle of Wight

Hurst Spit to Durlston Head (Poole & Christchurch Bays)

Durlston Head to Rame Head (South Devon & Dorset)

Rame Head to Hartland Point (Cornwall & Isles of Scilly)

Hartland Point to Anchor Head (North Devon & Somerset)

Anchor Head to Lavernock Point (Severn Estuary)

Coastal pathfinders:

The Coastal Change Pathfinder programme runs from December 2009 until Summer 2011 and involves 15 ‘pathfinder’ authorities.  The aim is to improve understanding of how coastal communities can adapt to coastal change, and provide practical lessons and examples that can be shared.  The pathfinders in the south of England are:

Dorset County Council See also: Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site
South Hams District Council See also: Slapton Line Partnership
Somerset County Council See also: Somerset Coastal Change
Hastings Borough Council
East Sussex County Council
Chichester District Council
Hampshire County Council

For information on projects and businesses that are already taking action to adapt to coastal change, see the Case Studies page, particularly the case studies on; Shifting Shores, South Milton Sands, Mullion Harbour and the Slapton Line Partnership.

What could happen?
What can you do?
Where to get more information

Checklist

The checklist guides you through a series of questions to help you assess your business’ preparedness and identify practical actions you can take. Go to Checklist

Top Tips

The most important things you can do to climate-proof your tourism business. Go to Top Tips

Case Studies

Forward-thinking businesses are already preparing for climate change. To find out how, read our case studies


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This tool has been developed by:
A Partnership of the Public, Private, and Voluntary Sectors.