One Home has created an interactive map to highlight the 21 English coastal communities most at risk of coastal erosion, which is accelerating because of the climate crisis. These include seaside villages in Cornwall, Cumbria, Dorset, East Yorkshire, Essex, Kent, the Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Norfolk and Sussex, amounting to 2,218 properties that are together worth around £584 million.

For each erosion hotspot, the map shows a projection for how much of the coast might be lost by 2100.One Home have assumed all shoreline management policies will be delivered, which is unlikely due to funding constraints, so the number of homes impacted is likely to be far higher.

The map and the Coastlines at risk page, also contain key information on the relevant Shoreline Management Plan, plus estimates of how many local properties are at risk, and their average current value.

Credit: One Home

Understanding the data

The One Home team highlight “The plotted erosion boundaries are estimates of the worst case scenario and use publicly available data. They show the maximum extent the erosion zone might reach by 2100 (five per cent confidence)”. The erosion zones for 2100 have only been plotted for the 21 locations. The absence of erosion bands on other parts of the English coastline does not mean there is no erosion occurring.

Shoreline Management Plans

In England, one of three shoreline management policies is assigned to each stretch of coastline depending on the most sustainable and cost-effective option. These policies are listed below and are colour-coded on the map:

• Hold the Line: maintaining or upgrading the level of protection provided by sea defences
• Managed Realignment: moving or allowing the shoreline to retreat or advance in a managed way, and creating tidal habitats where appropriate
• No Active Intervention: a decision not to invest in providing or maintaining sea defences. This requires engagement and adaptation where it affects communities

In layperson’s terms, these policies are often referred to as defend, retreat or abandon.

Read more here and access the map itself