Coastal Development

The coast is a beautiful environment and often where we holiday and aspire to live. However, its sometimes not appropriate to build on or develop. Over-zealous onshore or offshore developments can have an adverse impact on the coastal environment and the waves that break there.

Onshore developments can have various impacts on the environmental integrity of our coastline and surfing waves. For example, near shore developments can interrupt sediment cells, resulting in robbing a beach of sand, or the opposite, and flooding the beach with sediment. This can not only be disasterous for the wildlife that lives there but also influence how waves break by creating a backwash effect or encouraging waves to break further out and reducing their power and quality.

Developments can also have direct impact on the surf. Sea walls for mariners and coastal defences and can be sited in the surf zone making the waves unsurfable. The UK has already lost many waves to unsympathetic onshore developments.

Offshore developments, include offshore renewable energy developments, can impact on waves if sited irresponsible. Although SAS supports the offshore energy industry, we are adamant that these developments must investigate any potential impact on the surfing resource and engage fully with the surfing community.

SAS launched the POW campaign by producing a report for offshore renewable developers that should be utilised within the current Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), to assess any impact on the surfing resource and recreation. Thus making a more robust EIA, without making it more onerous. This report if available to download and has been delivered to every offshore developer in the UK.

We will continue to engage with the offshore renewables industry, lending our support whenever and wherever it is suitable. However, we will also remain vigilant for offshore renewables encroaching on our finite surfing resource. If your surf spot is threatened by onshore or near shore development please contact andy@sas.org.uk immediately.