Shoreline Management Plan

The shoreline at Stokes Bay is maintained by Gosport Borough Council in a partnership called the East Solent Coastline Partnership (ESCP).

ESCP formed an alliance in 2012 to deliver a combined, efficient and comprehensive coastal management service across the coastlines of four Local Authorities of Fareham Borough Council, Gosport Borough Council. Havant Borough Council and Portsmouth City Council. The overarching vision of the ESCP initiative is ‘to reduce the risk of coastal flooding and erosion to people, the developed and natural environment by encouraging the provision of technically, environmentally and economically sustainable coastal defence and protection measures’. A Shoreline Management Plan is a non-statutory policy document for coastal defence management planning. It takes account of other existing planning initiatives and legislative requirements, and is intended to inform wider strategic planning. It does not set policy for anything other than coastal defence management. The accepted plan for Stokes Bay, Titchfield Haven to Gilkicker, is ‘Hold The Line’. Under this plan, defence structures will need to be maintained and upgraded to provide flood protection to residential areas, commercial property, MOD assets, infrastructure (such as Stokes Bay Road), and amenity open space. In terms of beach management and recycling operations, the frontage is considered as a single management area and will benefit Hill Head, Lee-on-the-Solent and adjacent frontages, with possible beach recycling from Gilkicker Point. Coastal monitoring will be key to the successful management of this frontage.

The scheme to replace a section of the wall was undertaken in 2024 and completed in September 2024.

Photographs showing the damage that occurred follow:

Details of the partnership agreement here:
Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership Agreement