15 coastal change pathfinder authorities who will explore new ways of adapting to coastal change have been announced on the Defra website. These include  Hastings and East Sussex.

From a press release:

Support for coastal communities in adapting to coastal change was announced today when the government awarded £11 million in grants to fifteen local authorities who had come up with the best and most innovative ideas for dealing with and adapting to coastal change.

Details of all the coastal change pathfinders can be found at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/flooding/manage/pathfinder/index.htm

A total of 20 bids were received, all containing a range of interesting and innovative ideas. Bids were assessed by a panel including representatives from Defra, the Environment Agency, Communities and Local Government, the Commission for Rural Communities, the Community Development Foundation and the Local Government Improvement and Development Agency.

The pathfinder programme will run from November 2009 until Spring 2011. It is also a learning programme and lessons learned from the pathfinder programme will be shared as an educational tool.

Hastings Borough Council will receive £115,625 to work with the local fishing fleet to understand the impacts of historic and current coastal change (specifically the build up of shingle) and explore options for future adaptation.

East Sussex District Council will receive £249,997 for a detailed community engagement project and associated research, to explore adaptation options for the Cuckmere Estuary.