West Beach Project

Hayling Island is exposed to large and powerful waves. Over time the timber structures at West Beach were repeatedly worn down costing Havant Borough Council over £1m for routine maintenance to extend their life. In 2008 these timber structures were identified as at the end of their functional life and the Council agreed to not repair or reconstruct them when failure occurred. From 2012 through to 2020 the structures became unsafe and the council decided to have the damaged ones removed. The council continue to monitor the remaining structure and movement of the coastline.

In 2024, Havant Borough Council (HBC) approved a modest capital investment towards looking at potential works to manage the erosion at West Beach. This will be a ‘Do Minimum’ approach, working collaboratively with the neighbouring landowners of Hayling Golf Club (HGC) & the Inn on the Beach UK Ltd (IOTB) to give more certainty in this dynamic situation.

A capital investment from each partner/landowner towards a ‘Do Minimum’ collaborative approach would give more certainty in this dynamic situation; in turn enabling future Seafront Ambitions to be considered by each party, which are greater than when working in isolation.

The project has received a commitment from all three parties HBC, Hayling Golf Club (HGC) & the Inn on the Beach UK Ltd (IOTB) to work together and establish a way forward to protect the area.  Haskoning UK Ltd has been appointed to establish each of the parties objectives, their budget for funding a scheme and to produce an appropriate design for the area. The project phases are outlined below:

Project Phases:

1. Discovery to understand each Partners objectives and available budgets.

2. Option Appraisal to produce three outline design options and to identify the preferred way forward.

3. Design & Consenting looking at detailed design of the preferred option and planning. What licenses and consents would the project require and apply for them.

4. Implementation Procurement for construction, construction and define ongoing maintenance [End of 2027 ideally, but timing depends on Phase 3, may be in Spring 2028].

Please watch this page for further updates.