A beach management programme which helps protect more than 3,000 coastal homes and businesses from flooding is to continue.
Folkestone & Hythe District Council’s successful bid for £2.35m of Environment Agency funding means shingle between Fisherman’s Beach and Folkestone Harbour will be recycled and regraded biannually for the next five years.
This technique has been used since 2004 and is currently the most cost-effective way of protecting the 7km stretch of coastline. It also offers far superior flood and erosion defence than the old timber groynes.
Many of them are still hidden below the current level of recycled shingle and do not contain the adequate amount of material to shield the coastline or cope against rising sea levels.
Cllr Stephen Scoffham – Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Biodiversity – said: “The recycling and regrading of 160,000m³ of shingle offers effective and important protection against coastal flooding to thousands of residents.
“We’re delighted to have secured this Environment Agency money to ensure the beach management programme remains.”