Coastal Change Pathfinder Project

Recently the Manhood Peninsula Partnership (MPP) was the delivery partner in Defra's Coastal Change Pathfinder project, for which Chichester District Council was awarded £450,000. In 2009 the Government awarded £11 million in grants to local authorities who demonstrated the best and most innovative ideas for dealing with and adapting to coastal change. 15 local authorities were successful, each of whom developed their own schemes for working with communities that face the threat of coastal erosion.

The grant could not be used for the direct funding of sea defences. Instead the scheme was about working with local communities to adapt to coastal erosion. It was about recognising that the shape of our coastline is not fixed; but is subject to constant change which will only increase as our climate changes.

The MPP, the independent national charity CoastNet and the Manhood Peninsula Steering Group worked with Chichester District Council to deliver different elements of the project.

The MPP delivered several community based projects the most prominent of which were:

• An Integrated Coastal Zone Management plan for the Peninsula, Towards ICZM on the Manhood Peninsula, which has been adopted as a material planning consideration by the Local Planning Authority. This working group was chaired by WSCC. 

• A forward thinking Destination Management Plan agreed by business and wildlife /ecological organisations aiming at protecting the environment by using it as an economic asset.

• A well subscribed small grants fund that supported community projects which raised awareness of the changing coastline.