Letting Go – Moving Beaches Landwards as a Nature-Based Solution

Coastal defences can only ever ‘buy time’ in light of future sea level rise. Globally, increasing lengths of the open coast will therefore no longer be able to be defended in the future due to increasing costs and limited benefits in terms of the number of properties protected. This is particularly the case along coastlines that have already been fixed in position for long periods of time; in the case of Southeast England often for more than 150 years. Moving beaches landwards mimics natural roll-back and is an option to extend the life of beaches to retain some flood defence, habitat, and amenity. Evidence of the benefits of this approach are presented for two sites in Southeast England together with the plans for a more radical approach at a third site based on the growing experience with this approach.