Hastings Cabinet column with Cllr Clem McCulloch: Coastal teams working hard behind the scenes to prepare for storms

The Foreshore Trust owns the land along the Hastings and St Leonards foreshore. However, the responsibility for maintaining the sea defences lies with Hastings Borough Council which is legally responsible for preventing coastal flooding. 

Our coastal teams are working hard behind the scenes to make sure we are prepared for the bad weather and storms. They keep a close eye on weather forecasts and tide tables to stay ahead of any forecasted bad weather. This year, with strong El Niño, we could see a wetter and stormier autumn and winter.  

Prevention work starts before we get into the autumn and winter. During September, extensive repairs were done to the timber groynes along the seafront.  These works maintain the standard of protection and help to slow the movement of shingle along the coastline as groynes trap the shingle from travelling more quickly from west to east (from Eastbourne to Rye). 

Working with the Environment Agency, we have completed coastal recycling works. This involves excess beach material being returned westwards to Pevensey, where most of it had come from. During this work, we also reprofile the beach near to the harbour arm at the east end of the seafront to improve launch access for the lifeboat and our fishing fleet. 

More general winter preparedness includes things like installing storm boards at some of our premises to prevent damage through wind or high tides. The chalets at Marina are also shuttered over the winter. 

We also board over the Banksy which is on a set of steps down to the beach opposite St Leonards Church. It is covered with wood over the winter to protect it from damage due to high tide and will be uncovered again in the spring when the worst of the weather has passed.  

Many groups and organisations use the seafront and the team works with them to put in place alternative routes that are less likely to be affected by bad weather. Parkrun, for example, run out and back on the upper promenade rather than using the lower promenade and Bottle Alley through the winter. 

When the weather is bad, the coastal cycle route is closed for safety reasons. Much of this runs very close to the sea and can be badly affected by shingle and other debris washed or blown up in high tides or wind. 

Palm oil often washes up on the beach over the winter due to lower sea temperatures. This is harmless to people but dangerous to dogs, so if you spot it, please let us know. 

You might see the Coastal team out and about in action over the next few weeks. They carry on with their regular health and safety inspections but switch their focus to dealing with reactive maintenance. This means anything that needs repair or replacement after damage can be picked up quickly to prevent further damage or risk to the public. 

If you spot anything that needs attention, please report it through My Hastings - https://my.hastings.gov.uk/ - so the team can respond. After any storms over the winter, the team will inspect and address each issue on a priority basis, tackling the safety issues first.  

When we do get stormy weather, please stay away from the seafront for your own safety, and allow the teams to carry out the repairs they need to.