Medmerry Managed Realignment; Changing the Minds and Coast of Sussex – a Case Study

With contributions and thanks to: Pippa Lewis, Environment Agency; Joe Pearce, Environment Agency, Jacqui Bandy, Team Van Oord; Terry Fuller, Jacobs UK Ltd, Deborah Nutt, EC Harris.

The Environment Agency, RSPB and suppliers have worked in partnership at Medmerry to create the largest managed realignment on the open coast in Europe and the first in the UK. Before the new inland banks were completed late in 2013, bulldozers worked throughout winter storms every year to push up the shingle flood defences in efforts to stop breaching and seawater inundation. Even with this work, coastal flooding was expected annually, damaging properties, land and businesses. As well as reducing the risk of flooding, the realignment scheme has created a new 400 hectare (ha) nature reserve. This includes 183ha of intertidal land offsetting tidal-squeeze losses caused by existing and proposed flood and erosion risk management schemes across the Solent.