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Conservative MPs are urging Labour to cut red tape for marine restoration companies to support coastal communities in decline. The Conservative Environment Network (CEN) warned of the impact on towns of declining tourism and flooding, storms and coastal erosion, in a report outlining measures to help them.
The group, which includes dozens of Tory MPs, called for regulation to be streamlined for projects such as the Solent Seascape Project. This initiative aims to restore saltmarsh, seagrass, oyster reefs, and seabird nesting sites between the Isle of Wight and mainland England.
Shadow minister backs coastal plan
Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins backed the report, calling it a "valuable conservative contribution for consideration in our ongoing policy renewal programme". She said Britain's once-buzzing seaside towns are facing growing economic and environmental pressures.
"The Conservatives are determined to set out a plan to protect our coastal communities and preserve them for future generations," Atkins said. She added: "Needless red tape continues to hamstring investment into marine restoration projects that could bring coastal communities jobs, nature-abundant habitats, and protection against the growing threats of climate change."
Nature-based flood defence funding urged
The network is also calling on Labour to use the flood defences budget to fund more nature-based solutions and to designate more highly protected marine areas in English waters. This would protect against practices like bottom trawling, in which fishing gear is dragged across the seabed destroying habitats and scooping up a wide array of species.
They also want the Government to publish blue carbon codes - frameworks that define how carbon stored in marine habitats like seagrass and saltmarsh can be measured, verified and sold as credits. This would unlock more funding for coastal resilience and boost nature recovery as well as local economies through nature tourism and job creation as more projects could get off the ground.
Coastal deprivation statistics revealed
Some 67 per cent of English coastal towns are in the Office for National Statistics higher deprivation category and 3,500 properties are in areas at risk from coastal erosion. Kitty Thompson, head of campaigns at CEN, said offering solutions for coastal communities could also help the Conservatives challenge Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
"The teal tide is not inevitable. Reform offers an easy outlet of anger for many coastal towns who have watched their neighbourhoods fade," Thompson said. "But they won't give these communities the solutions they deserve. If the Conservatives offer a pragmatic, credible alternative that can deliver for coastal communities, then they can challenge Reform in coastal target seats, stopping them in their tracks."
Marine licensing system criticised
Jacques Villemot, marine rewilding lead for Rewilding Britain, said the current marine licensing framework is outdated and called for the application process for projects to be streamlined. "This framework urgently needs to be updated to support marine rewilding projects," he said.
"Though necessary, in its current format marine licensing acts as a blocker, a laborious and costly process which was designed for approving developments like huge oil rigs and large wind farms," Villemot added.
Government defends flood investment
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "We are committed to supporting coastal communities. This government inherited flood defences in their worst condition on record."
"Through our Plan for Change, we're investing a record £2.65 billion over two years to repair and build more than 1,000 flood defences across the country, including nature-based projects. This will protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
