July 2021 Hayling Coastal Strategy Update
Key Stakeholder Meeting – July 2021
An online update meeting was held in July 2021 with key stakeholders representing organisations, businesses, community groups and landowners on Hayling Island. Following an update on project progress from the project team, there was an opportunity for key stakeholders to put their questions to the team.
What we said …
The project team gave a presentation providing a recap on Strategy aims, the strategy process and timeline, before updating on the progress made since the last key stakeholder workshop.
Hayling Island Coastal Strategy Development Process
The team also explained how initial stakeholder inputs on options, aspirations and opportunities have been taken into account as the project has progressed. Here you can view the presentation.
You can view the four coastal management approaches assessed through the Strategy.
What you asked...
Strategic
Q - What are the prospects for protecting the Billy Trail?
A - We will look at all of the coastal management approaches along the Hayling Billy frontage in the next stage of appraisal - do something, adaptation, habitat creation, everything is in the mix at the moment, even though the strategic policy is to do nothing. We want to reassess the policy to make sure we’re doing the right thing considering potential increased use of the Billy Trail in the future. Is a 'do nothing' approach still appropriate in this location? We’re working closely with the planning and regen teams at HBC as it’s a strategic piece of infrastructure for the island, some parts are subject to erosion, some aren’t, so is about looking at the holistic picture. The environmental designations in the harbour are likely to have a strong impact on the outcomes for this frontage.
Q – Is there a shift in policy along the Billy Trail?
A – Everything is still on the table at this point, we will look at sustainable approaches in the short and long term, challenging SMP policy if we need to. When we go through multivariate analysis, if the policy needs to change, then we need to go through a specific process. We should get a better understanding if this is the case over the next few months.
Q - Have Government, EA or HBC's attitude towards coastal erosion changed during this study and consultation? I understand the EA may be seeking to defend more coastline rather than allowing natural processes to prevail?
A – A new Defra policy statement for flood and coastal erosion risk management was published last year, also we have the new National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. We would say the opposite, actually the attitude to coastal flood and erosion risk management has seen a shift from away from defending to looking at how communities can adapt in the future, recognising we can’t protect everywhere all of the time. The environment has become more centred in the work we do, by enhancing, protecting and regenerating the natural environment.
Technical
Q – What have sea levels actually been rising at over the past 5 years?
A – We need to look at long term record, SLR is predicted to accelerate from 2040 onwards. Our understanding is SLR is rising between 2 and 4mm per year. We will look back at the research and come back with more information. Please see a link to the UK Climate Predictions (UKCP) which provides the most up to date assessment of how the UK climate may be in the future;
Q – The beach at HI sailing club is getting bigger and bigger, it looks like material is being transported from the replenishment at Eastoke, what’s being done here?
A - Beach management is being looked at by the strategy, where we can move sediment from and to. See the Beach Management Plan for Hayling Island
Q - Are we considering Beneficial Use of Dredging (BUDS) (Building up existing saltmarsh or mudflats by pumping up dredged sediment to regenerate), as being trialled in Lymington and Keyhaven?
A – Yes, we will look at all options around the coast, including how we can potentially restore habitats, including saltmarsh. An environment focus will be key to the strategy.
Q – Are you addressing the bimodal wave impacts on Hayling’s beaches?
A - Coastal process and modelling challenges are key work packages that we need to take into account in the Strategy. Coastal Partners have been undertaking research on bimodal waves on Hayling, please see the presentation: South Hayling Beaches: Storms and Bimodal Seas, here as an introduction.
If you’d like more detailed research, please also see: Coastal storms: detailed analysis of observed sea level and wave events in the SCOPAC region (southern England) undertaken by Coastal Partners, BCP Council and the University of Southampton.
Engagement
Q – Will you involve the local community in decisions?
A – Yes, through this group and through public consultation.
Q – When is the next stakeholder event likely to take place either collectively or with individual landowners?
A – We are looking to engage the next steps in the winter when we have the draft strategic management approaches in place. We may need further meetings with landowners before that too.
Q – As an owner of property on the sea front, I would like to hear what you’d like us to do, and how to be involved in developing the plan? Is there anything tangible we can do in the immediate term?
A - We want to re-engage with you, either virtually or face-to-face in the winter and take you through the draft strategy after we’ve done our assessments, after that we’ll go out to the wider public early in 2022. You attending these events is essential, we’re now going away to do some work to assess the options from technical, environmental, social, economic perspectives, while looking at objectives for each area, to put together a strategy that’s going to work for the island. We want to come back to you with our evidence and draft strategy before we go out to the wider public. Your opinion really matters to us.
Q – Could you give us more detailed information? We would welcome enough technical information and would like to know the underpinning reasons for outcomes. It will be Important when we come to disseminate information to others.
A – Absolutely, we’re happy to share more detailed information via the projects web pages.
Q - Are you engaging with the right people? Property owners and landowners need to understand the strategy. You need to be open and transparent and need to talk to those who matter.
A - We are engaging with landowners. HBC have permissive powers to intervene if there is a benefit. In the absence of a solution this will be looked at in the strategy. We do have to look at adaptation in the longer term. We need to start asking those difficult questions and having those conversations now.
Additional resources: Coasts for Kids are 5 short animated videos about coastal topics narrated by children, for children and created by a range of well-known coastal scientists.