£17.7 million investment to save Blackpool’s beaches as Government steps in on coastal erosion

Blackpool’s beaches will be protected for future generations thanks to a £17,690,000 Government investment in the Blackpool Beach Management scheme for 2026/27.

The funding, delivered through the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Grant-in-Aid (GiA), will support a major project designed to tackle coastal erosion, protect homes and businesses and preserve Blackpool’s golden sands. The funding is the first tranche of a total £57m government investment in preserving our coast for future generations.

Blackpool is increasingly at risk of losing its beaches as falling sand levels driven by climate change and extreme weather threaten to expose clay beneath the sand and weaken our natural sea defences. This is already happening in the most northern parts of the town with sea defence work on Anchorsholme having already begun.

Beach lowering at Anchorsholme has exposed the clay layer beneath the sand beach. Photo: Blackpool Council

Beaches play a crucial role as the first line of defence against flooding, helping to absorb the force of waves during storms. Without urgent action the loss of sand will leave our communities vulnerable.

The Blackpool Beach Management scheme will directly address this by constructing 17 rock headlands along the seafront between South and North Pier. Earlier this month Blackpool Council submitted its plans for the structures which will help trap and retain sand, stabilising the beach and strengthening long-term protection for the town. Additional sand may also be added to our beaches after extreme weather. 

This investment forms part of the government’s wider action to strengthen flood and coastal defences across the country.

The government this week announced £830 million in national funding for 2026/27, supporting more than 600 flood and coastal defence projects across England and helping to protect 29,000 homes and businesses.

The funding sits within a £1.4 billion flood defence programme for 2026/27, part of a record £10.5 billion commitment between 2024 and 2036 – the largest flood resilience investment in England’s history.

Our coastline is central to Blackpool’s identity and economy, but it is under real threat from erosion and falling beach levels.

This funding is hugely important – it will help protect homes and businesses while preserving the beaches that are so vital to our town. I will continue working with the Environment Agency and local partners to make sure Blackpool gets the long-term protection it needs.