Examining just and resilient adaptation in light of the Bacton-Walcott sandscaping scheme

Cotton, Isabel (2024) Examining just and resilient adaptation in light of the Bacton-Walcott sandscaping scheme. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

England’s coastline is highly vulnerable to coastal erosion, and an increasing number of settlements will be at risk as this century progresses. However, the country is underprepared for adapting to long-term coastal change (CCC, 2023). In 2019, the UK’s first large-scale sandscaping project was completed on the North Norfolk coast to protect the nationally important Bacton Gas Terminal and nearby villages. While existing research has examined the direct environmental and social impacts of sandscaping, this study addresses a research gap on the broader implications of sandscaping for preparing for long-term coastal change. As a potentially transformative coastal strategy, this research uses an environmental justice lens to examine transformation and resilience, given scale-sensitivities and issues of equity attributed to resilient approaches.

An interdisciplinary, mixed methods approach is adopted to investigate local resident and policymaker perspectives of sandscaping and wider coastal change, using a survey and semi-structured interviews, combined with analysis of geomorphological change. Results reveal that sandscaping has physically transformed the coastal system, by dramatically increasing beach volume and width. Views on the effectiveness of sandscaping amongst local residents are wide-ranging, and coastal adaptation is disputed where it threatens the integrity of settlements, and if unaccompanied with sufficient practical and financial support. Residents have an increased sense of security of future coastal change through the protection afforded by sandscaping, but there is a risk of maladaptation if reduced concern of erosion risk in the future affects willingness to engage in coastal adaptation in the present.

Overall, the research demonstrates incorporating justice principles into coastal adaptation planning is fundamental for successful community engagement, both to overcome historic environmental justice issues and to facilitate community willingness to adapt. Through its interdisciplinary approach, this thesis also reveals that evaluations of nature-based solutions like sandscaping should go beyond geomorphological analysis, to also consider social dimensions.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	25 Feb 2025 09:40
Last Modified:	25 Feb 2025 09:40
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98588
DOI:

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