News

Our latest newsletter is now available! Please click on the link for 'Newsletter Autumn 2024' on the right-hand side of this news page to view.

If you would like to receive future newsletters directly to your inbox, please subscribe to our email updates via our webpage or email us at pevenseyandeastbournecoast@environment-agency.gov.uk

You can view a recorded presentation which explains the designs for the medium-term project (also known as Phase 1). The designs have been developed to keep the coastline between Eastbourne and Pevensey resilient to the risk of flooding from the sea. This project is due to start in 2027 for 10 years.

The presentation can be accessed here(External link).

In addition to our trio in Eastbourne, we now have a display gabion in Pevensey Bay (Coast Road car park). We use these gabions to publicly display project information and for this new addition, we have also included the Marine Manifesto that was created by our friends at Little Green Pig and young writers from Langney Primary Academy.

Please note the Virtual Exhibition Room is now closed. If you have any further comments to add about the Phase 1 shortlist options, please email us: pevenseyandeastbournecoast@environment-agency.gov.uk

*Recording now available*

If you were unable to join us live for the Online Q&A event, or you would like to watch the session again, you can access the recording using the link below. The transcript is available from the Documents list on the right of the screen.

Recording of Q&A session

We are pleased to share the details of our upcoming engagement events with you.

Come along to a public exhibition to find out more about the shortlist for Phase 1 of the scheme. The project team will be there to explain more and answer any of your questions.

Further details about the online Q&A session will be published here soon.

Vegetated shingle at Pevensey and Eastbourne

Vegetated shingle is a scarce habitat in Sussex, inhabited by a small range of plants which are adapted to growing on coastal shingle in the harsh conditions of low soil moisture and exposure to wind and salt spray. Typical plants include Sea Kale (Crambe maritima), Sea Campion (Silene uniflora) and Yellow Horned - poppy (Glaucium flavum). Some of the best remaining examples of this habitat along the South East England coast are at Shoreham-by-Sea and Dungeness.

Although vegetated shingle is a globally rare habitat, there has been continued destruction along the Sussex coast. Due to its fragile status, the flora is vulnerable to damage from a range of threats, both natural and manmade. Coastal squeeze and excessive visitor pressure, as is the case along the frontage at Eastbourne, can lead to either the total loss of vegetation or a dramatic reduction in the quality of the community present.

Surveys have been carried out recently by the Pevensey to Eastbourne project team, which have found that currently, the vegetated shingle is generally absent or in poor condition along the whole frontage, apart from small, discrete fenced off areas.

We think that in time there will be opportunities to improve the condition of vegetated shingle through a combination of design and careful habitat management. In the short-term we may be impacting areas where shingle could or should be but is absent or in poor condition.

Coastal squeeze, where areas inland are urbanised and coastal erosion is eating away at habitats along the seafront, is a threat to vegetated shingle in the future, so we need to identify locations where it could possibly move inland.

The vegetated shingle is a very sensitive feature which Natural England and Sussex Wildlife Trust will be keeping an eye on.

We are working on a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to identify how we can make improvements to the environment whilst minimising negative impacts. We expect this work to be available for review in the winter.

We are also looking at how we can merge landscape improvements into the design of the flood risk solutions and aim to have these designs ready for review alongside the SEA.

Marine habitats may help to reduce flood and erosion risk by reducing wave power, whilst also improving biodiversity and absorbing carbon. We are therefore working with partners to understand the different forms of marine habitat that may be suitable for this area of coastline.