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Coastal management plans open for public feedback

English Heritage Hurst castle, with its low ceilings and perimeter spanning the tip of the shingle bank, and a white lighthouse, pictured at the tip of Hurst Spit in the foreground against the sea in the background. English Heritage
The EA said allowing the shingle bank to roll back would require creating a new way to access Hurst Castle (seen here at the tip of Hurst Spit).

Plans to adapt a stretch of Hampshire coastline to the effects of climate change could lead to loss of wildlife habitats, the Environment Agency has said.

The agency is asking the public for feedback on its draft strategy for managing the shoreline from Hurst Spit to Lymington over the next 100 years.

The strategy is intended to adapt to rises in sea level and rainfall, with the agency warning its changes would make it impossible to maintain the coastline in its current form.

It said any lost designated habitats would need to be recreated elsewhere.

Hurst Spit is a mile-long shingle bank at the western end of the Solent, protecting an area of saltmash.

The current draft proposals would maintain the current defences at Hurst Spit for the next 10-20 years, after which intervention would be gradually reduced.

The bank would then eventually be allowed to roll back naturally, becoming lower and wider. The agency said this could increase flood risk, and that new defences may need to be raised elsewhere. The cost is expected to be £165m over the next 100 years.

As it stands, the proposed strategy could result in the loss of saltmarsh - an important habitat for birds and plants which the EA said would need to be recreated elsewhere.

The EA said the draft strategy was not final, and a formal consultation would follow in 2026.

Lymington Harbour Commissioners said: "We understand there will need to be changes to adapt to sea level rise."

"We have assured the EA of our willingness to work with them to secure a long term sea defence solution that works for the local community as well as providing value for money to the public purse."

The agency has asked for responses from the public by 11 January.