East Suffolk Council

Coastal Management

Staying safe on our coast

We have many miles of beautiful coastline to explore and enjoy but it is also some of the fastest eroding coast in western Europe. We urgently need your help to make sure that everyone stays safe when they visit the beach. In an emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

For more information visit the HM Coastguard website.

About our coast

The Suffolk coast is approximately 79km long and runs from Corton on the Norfolk/ Suffolk border to Landguard Point in Felixstowe. There are also a further 134km of tidal edge within the Blyth, Alde and Ore, Deben and Orwell estuaries that lie within our district.

Responsibility for managing this coastline is split between the Environment Agency (for areas at risk of flooding), private ownership and the Maritime Planning Authorities for areas at risk of coastal erosion. For Suffolk, the Maritime Planning Authority is East Suffolk Council.

East Suffolk Council is directly responsible for 36km of the Suffolk coastline and has permissive powers (not duties) to carry out works over parts of this frontage to manage the risk of erosion. Currently there are hard defences and over 300 groynes, covering 19.4km of coast.

What are “Coastal assets”?

Coastal assets include sea walls, steps, ramps, navigation markers, retaining walls and groynes.