Our coastal communities have shown considerable resilience and adaptability in navigating change while preserving the current built and natural environment. However, global and local factors have introduced new challenges and pressures on the area which is already reliant on sea defences and investment in water management to stay productive and competitive.
Limited economic diversity and an overreliance on the visitor economy leaves communities vulnerable to external economic and environmental shocks and unable to reach its full potential as a region. As a result, pockets of persistent deprivation are prevalent in Skegness, Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea, where a high percentage of households are deprived in two or more dimensions.
Until this point, the yearly investment costs associated with Lincolnshire’s coastal schemes have outweighed the damages avoided, enabling nourishment and maintenance to be fully funded through flood defence Grant-in-Aid.
The cost and scale of replacing many of the existing defences along the 38km of coastline means that traditional funding routes will no longer be sufficient in the future.
The level of investment required to simply maintain today’s level of protection by replacing the existing assets is in the billions, exceeding the resources and funding models available. This calls for a step change in how we plan, prioritise and deliver long-term coastal flood defence and water management and is likely to require both public and private investment.
Sustainable growth will be essential not only to build long term resilience but also to enhance the coast as a thriving, adaptable and economically diverse place for future generations.
As a collective, the Lincolnshire Coast 2100+ Partnership will unite local and national actors to deliver a coordinated and place-based investment strategy that recognises and addresses the coast’s unique challenges and opportunities.