Coastal Partners

What Coastal Partners does

Coastal Partners is a public-sector partnership formed in 2012 and led by Havant Borough Council, comprising five local authorities — Chichester District Council, Havant Borough Council, Portsmouth City Council, Gosport Borough Council and Fareham Borough Council. The organisation delivers coastal flood and erosion risk management across 246km of Hampshire and West Sussex coastline, serving partner councils and the coastal communities, businesses and infrastructure within their boundaries. Core services include planning and design of coastal defence schemes, inspection and maintenance of existing defences, beach management, flood response (with Coastal Incident Officers), environmental advisory work, and topographic and bathymetric surveying under the Southeast Strategic Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme. Headcount sits in the 101–250 range and the partnership operates from Public Service Plaza, Havant.

The technology stack centres on specialist coastal engineering rather than software products. The Geomatics Division operates a drone/UAV surveying service for project monitoring. The Tracer Pebbles programme uses tagged pebbles to track littoral drift along beaches, capturing sediment movement data that informs beach management planning. Strategic coastal monitoring delivers topographic and bathymetric surveys, anchored by the Hayling Directional WaveRider buoy deployed in 2003 and managed with Channel Coastal Observatory. Cutting-edge research is conducted on bi-modal sea states affecting shingle beaches using the SHINGLE-B model (developed in 2016 with HR Wallingford), Monte Carlo simulation, and multivariate extreme value distribution analysis. Operational product lines include the South Hayling Beach Management Plan (2024-2029, £5.1M Environment Agency funding), the multi-phase North Portsea Coastal Scheme (£63.7M since 2014, 8.4km, 1-in-500-year standard), the Eastoke Point scheme (1,743+ properties, 1-in-200-year standard), the new Hayling Island Coastal Management Strategy (100-year horizon, 16 Option Development Units), and the Southsea Coastal Scheme (4.5km).

The business model is entirely non-commercial and grant-funded. There is no pricing model; services are delivered as public goods. Funding flows from three streams: Environment Agency Flood Defence Grant in Aid (Flood Defence Grant in Aid for schemes such as the £63.7M North Portsea programme and the £5.1M South Hayling BMP), contributions from the five partner councils for works with wider public benefit, and dedicated project-specific Defra/central-government allocations. Implementation is delivered through contractors including Les Searle Group (beach recycling), Norse SE (Hayling seafront services) and Boskalis (dredging), with HR Wallingford as specialist consultancy. Marketing and stakeholder engagement operate through a public-sector channel mix: the coastalpartners.org.uk website, Granicus/GovDelivery newsletters, public consultation events, news releases and social media. The organisation is owned and governed by the five councils and reports under the Coast Protection Act 1949 framework.

Name

Coastal Partners

Legal name

Coastal Partners

Website

https://coastalpartners.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Coastal Partners is a public-sector partnership of five UK councils delivering coastal flood and erosion risk management, beach management, and coastal monitoring across 246km of Hampshire and West Sussex coastline, funded by Environment Agency grants and local authority contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coastal Management Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

akta.pro primary industry

Breakwaters, Seawalls & Coastal Defense Structures (IMAFAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Revetments, Groynes & Beach Nourishment (IMAFAJAD), Navigation & Aids-to-Navigation Works (Beacons, Buoys, Markers) (IMAFAJAH), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Coastal management services
• Flood risk management
• Coastal defence engineering
• Beach management planning
• Coastal monitoring surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Havant

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants (Environment Agency): Primary funding from the Environment Agency through Flood Defence Grant in Aid for coastal management projects. Beach management activities on Hayling Island are funded entirely by Flood Defence Grant in Aid. Grant in Aid funding covers specific projects with defined public benefit.
2. Local Authority Funding: Funding from five partner councils (Chichester District Council, Havant Borough Council, Portsmouth City Council, Gosport Borough Council, Fareham Borough Council) for coastal protection works where there is wider public benefit
3. Project-Specific Government Funding: Dedicated funding for specific projects such as the North Portsea Coastal Scheme (£63.7m from government since 2014) and Eastoke Point Scheme (£5m from Defra through Flood Defence Grant in Aid)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Coastal Partners manages flood and erosion risk across 246km of Hampshire and West Sussex coastline on behalf of five partner councils, delivering coastal defence scheme planning, design and construction, beach management planning (recycling and recharge), inspection and maintenance of existing defences, environmental and habitat protection, and operational flood response. Specialist support services include a Geomatics Division providing drone/UAV surveying, strategic coastal monitoring (topographic and bathymetric surveys), tracer pebble sediment tracking, and bi-modal wave analysis research using the Shingle-B model.

Product overview

Coastal Partners is a partnership of five councils (Chichester, Havant, Portsmouth, Gosport, and Fareham) providing coastal engineering and management services across 246km of coastline in Hampshire and West Sussex. Founded in 2012, the organisation offers a unified portfolio of coastal management services including the Geomatics Division (with drone/UAV surveying), Environment Services, Strategic Coastal Monitoring (topographic/bathymetric surveys), Flood Response Services, and Beach Management. The core product portfolio includes project-based coastal defence schemes (such as the North Portsea Coastal Scheme and Eastoke Point Coastal Defence), ongoing beach management plans (South Hayling Beach Management Plan), and long-term coastal strategies (Hayling Island Coastal Management Strategy). Supporting services include Tracer Pebbles sediment tracking and the Southern Coastal Group Frameworks network. The organisation also utilises specialist tools like the SHINGLE-B model for beach response analysis and monitors real-time wave data from the Hayling Wave Buoy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coastal Flooding and Erosion Risk Management End-to-end management of flood and erosion risk across 246km of Hampshire and West Sussex coastline, including planning, design, construction oversight, and maintenance of coastal defence schemes delivered on behalf of five partner local authorities.
• Geomatics Services (Drone/UAV Surveying) Drone and UAV-based monitoring and surveying services for coastal projects, encompassing the collection, analysis, and presentation of geographic data (geomatics) used for coastal defence planning and asset inspection.
• Environment Services Environmental advisory and habitat protection services that balance coastal defence works with protection of the natural and historic environment, supporting planning, licensing, and scheme design.
• Strategic Coastal Monitoring Topographic and bathymetric surveys delivered for the Southeast Strategic Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme, including data from wave buoys and tide gauges supporting regional coastal monitoring.
• Flood Response Services Operational flood response providing technical assistance to emergency planners, including instruction and supervision for floodgate closure and storm board installation during coastal flood events.
• Tracer Pebbles Sediment Tracking Innovative sediment tracking service using tagged tracer pebbles to measure rates, direction, and patterns of littoral drift along beaches, providing quantitative data on coastal sediment movement for beach management planning.
• Southern Coastal Group Frameworks (SCOPAC & SCG) Network and coordination service for neighbouring local authorities and organisations involved in coastal management in central southern England, delivered through the combined SCOPAC and SCG organisation.
• South Hayling Beach Management Ongoing beach management service along the open coast of Hayling Island, maintaining a healthy beach through recycling and recharge to prevent flooding at Eastoke, governed by multi-year Beach Management Plans (current BMP 2024-2029).
• Hayling Island Coastal Management Strategy Long-term strategic planning service for managing tidal flood and erosion risk on Hayling Island over a 100-year horizon, dividing the island into 16 Option Development Units and adopted by Havant Borough Council.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected 1743+ properties at Eastoke with 1 in 200-year standard of protection
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Environment AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Primary government funding partner providing Flood Defence Grant in Aid for coastal management projects. Awards £63.7M for North Portsea Coastal Scheme. Responsible for strategic overview of flood and coastal erosion management in England.
• Chichester District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of five partner councils in the Coastal Partners partnership. Chichester District Council covers the Chichester Harbour area.
• Havant Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead authority for Coastal Partners. Hosts the partnership headquarters at Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre Road, Havant. Primary council managing partnership operations.
• Portsmouth City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner council for North Portsea Coastal Scheme. Coastal Partners delivers scheme on behalf of Portsmouth City Council covering 8.4km of Portsmouth coastline.
• Gosport Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of five partner councils in the Coastal Partners partnership covering Gosport coastline area.
• Fareham Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of five partner councils in the Coastal Partners partnership covering Fareham coastline area.
• Les Searle GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBeach management contractor for South Hayling beach recycling and maintenance works. Undertakes twice-yearly beach management campaigns.
• Norse SEminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContractor for seafront services on Hayling Island. Conducts daily patrols on Hayling seafront. Manages West Beach car park and beach hut maintenance.
• Chichester Harbour ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatutory Harbour Authority for Chichester Harbour. Responsible for leisure, recreation, nature conservation, and safe port management under Chichester Harbour Conservancy Act 1971. Issues Harbour Works Licences.
• Natural EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment's statutory adviser for natural environment. Regulatory role in relation to management of activities on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Consultee on planning and licensing matters.
• BoskalisminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMarine engineering contractor engaged for dredging operations as part of South Hayling Beach Management works.
• The Crown EstateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages approximately half of the foreshore between mean high and low water marks around England. Owns significant sections of foreshore and seabed within Chichester Harbour. Provides coastal survey licences.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coastalp_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coastalpartners-uk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coastal Partners