‘We are listening’ says Environment Agency over controversial Hurst Spit to Lymington Strategy

ONGONG feedback on controversial plans to manage the coastline between Hurst Spit and Lymington will be listened to, the Environment Agency has assured.

As reported in the A&T, a strategy for managing flood and erosion risk between in the area over the next century is currently being developed by several agencies including the EA and New Forest District Council.

However, a plan to ‘roll back’ the sea wall along sections of the coast has been heavily criticised by local sailing clubs and marine organisations, which say it could cause Lymington River to become unnavigable, and severely hit local marine businesses.

Another aspect of the plan, which would see Hurst Spit maintained for the next 10 to 20 years before it is left to nature, has also been slammed by campaign group Save Lymington and Keyhaven (Slak).

The group – comprising representatives from the Royal Lymington and Lymington Town sailing clubs, Keyhaven Yacht Club, Hurst Castle Sailing Club, Wightlink, Lymington RNLI, Lymington Yacht Haven, Berthon Boat Company and Lymington Marina – recently met with the Environment Agency.

The A&T spoke to Claire Francis, the EA’s southern coastal risk manager, who said the authority would continue listening to concerns of residents and organisations.

She said the strategy, which covers 15km of coastline between Hurst Spit and Lymington over the next 100 years, is being developed to give the EA the “best opportunity to manage climate change”.

She said: “We know there will be sea level rise, we know there will be climate change, and that is going to have an impact on the coastline.”

Ms Francis said the current phase of strategy development focuses on understanding potential impacts and looking at recommendations – not implementing immediate changes.

“We are not recommending any immediate changes,” she said. “We’re certainly not suggesting that anything should change in terms of the current management or maintenance of Hurst Spit.”

One major point of contention for local groups is the perceived lack of action in the short term, with concerns that funding for existing defences will dry up while the long-term strategy is developed.

However, Ms Francis said the strategy will not impact current maintenance work. “The fact that we’re doing a strategy doesn’t change or influence anything which is actively happening on the ground,” she said, adding that current maintenance and management approaches will continue subject to “various stakeholder budget allocations”.

She also emphasised the EA is monitoring the condition of existing defences and will adapt its approach as needed.

“The adaptive pathway approach allows us to take all of that information into account on a much more agile and flexible basis,” she explained.

Ms Francis said the EA recognises the strong local interest in Hurst Spit and the concerns of communities, and welcomed public input and engagement to help shape the strategy

She said: “This conversation is really important for us to understand what everyone else knows, what experience they’ve got and how that works with what we’re recommending.”

On the concerns raised by Slak regarding the potential impact on Lymington River, Ms Francis said: “We are looking primarily at where people and properties are to protect them from flood risk. But we do understand that there are lots of other kinds of users and what that can mean to the community.”

Concerns have also been raised about the long-term implications of the strategy, including reduced management of Hurst Spit and the impact this could have on wave energy, coastal dynamics, and the river.

Ms Francis emphasized that the EA is working with Lymington Harbour Commissioners and other stakeholders to understand their current activities such as dredging and salt marsh recharge.

She said: “Some of that work just hasn’t been done yet because we’re not at that stage of the strategy development. That’s the stage that we’re heading into.”

The EA says it plans to continue engaging with Slak and other groups throughout the process, encouraging interested parties to participate in the Stakeholder Advisory Group, a forum for gathering feedback and helps shape the strategy.

While the formal consultation on the strategy is set to take place in summer 2026, the EA welcomes ongoing communication.

The project website will also be regularly updated with news, events, and other information. Updates will be published at www.hurstspit2lymington.co.uk

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