The English Coast is a treasured landscape, visited and enjoyed by so many of us, providing a sanctuary and sustaining our health and well-being. But coasts are facing serious challenges:

• Coastal communities are on the frontline of climate change with storms and sea level rise;
• Coastal communities often suffer from high levels of social deprivation;
• Dependence upon tourism results in a high proportion of seasonal work.

The coast is a highly contested space between different interested parties which lacks the resources and capacity to be effectively managed. At the same time, the coast offers huge opportunities:

• Nature-based solutions to climate change through conservation and restoration of coastal habitats providing a carbon sink – what we now call blue carbon and green recovery;
• Seasonal revenue from recreation and tourism could be used better to support deprived coastal communities;
• Access to the sea is critical for fisheries and all marine industries – there is huge potential for growth, particularly within ports and renewables;
• Increase connectivity between people and the sea – it is proven to be important for social and mental health and well-being benefits and will increase ocean literacy.

The number of public bodies and private sector interests is highest at the coast. This has made planning and management complex, with the focus too often either inland or offshore. We need a new resilient approach which focuses on the land-sea interface, allowing communities to take a real role in how the coast is managed.

The Coastal Based Approach (CoBA) provides flexible, collaborative, inclusive and effective leadership for some of the most challenging, complex and often neglected areas of the country. CoBA will formalise and build resilience into pre-existing community-led structures at the coast, providing local capacity to cover the areas currently un-represented.  It will assist existing and new local coastal partnerships, many of which have grown organically, to achieve their full potential and provide national consistency along the entire English coast.

CoBA is based upon the success of the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) which began in 2010 and has grown to address land use and water issues across every English river catchment – CoBA will adapt learning from this approach. The CoBA proposition asks the Government to support the initiation of CoBA (as it has with CaBA). The Government (and its Arm’s Length Bodies) have an array of ambitious coastal/marine initiatives that need direct local input to ensure effective and long-lasting delivery. For a modest investment the Government can leverage a large return: CaBA has demonstrated over £3 returned for every £1 invested. By bringing people and organisations together, CoBA will assist in the delivery of green recovery, net zero targets, restoration of marine biodiversity and the levelling up agenda on jobs & resilience. Very importantly, by investing in local capacity, it will mobilise co-operation between communities and Government. Investing in CoBA will offer considerable returns for the economy, environment and society.

To deliver CoBA across the entire English coast, Government is asked to:

1. Champion the launch and delivery of CoBA in 2021 as it did with CaBA in 2010;
2. Target investment of £1.8m a year over 3 years to seed fund the development of CoBA;
3. Give policy priority to CoBA, enabling it to flourish and deliver.

The full CoBA proposition paper outlines the vision for CoBA and further information on how it would support delivery of Government policy and programmes. For further information and contact see www.coastalbasedapproach.org or contact Natasha Bradshaw at University of the West of England (UWE, Bristol) on behalf of the CoBA committee.