Improved coastal defences will protect Worthing from the sea
Released: Thursday, 30 July 2026
The multimillion-pound project to improve Worthing's coastal defences to protect homes and businesses from the sea has been completed.
Over the last eight months, contractors for the Environment Agency have been working in sections along the seafront from Seaview Road to the border with Lancing at Brooklands Park.
The project is designed to protect homes and businesses along the seafront and in the town centre for the next 10 years. A separate longer-term scheme will be developed with the Environment Agency to prevent the erosion of our coast and flooding for the next 50 years.
Scores of new pile extensions have been fitted to replace worn and snapped piles on the groynes. New planks have been attached to them to retain shingle, helping protect the town from flooding.
Our officers will monitor shingle levels along the coastline to analyse the effectiveness of the repaired groynes, using drone footage recorded recently as the starting point. Extra shingle will be moved onto the beach if the levels do not gradually build up enough to act as a barrier to the power of the waves.
More planks will need to be fitted to the groynes but this work will be paused until after the school summer holidays, to avoid disruption for those wanting to visit the beach.
Councillor Martin McCabe, Worthing's cabinet member for environment, said:
“This investment in Worthing's coastal defences has been vital to protect the town centre from the sea.
“The groynes look fresh and new and they are visibly already beginning to help the beach to keep hold of the shingle being brought in at high tide.
“By continuing to maintain and improve the defences over the coming years, we can keep the sea at bay so those living, working and investing in our town centre can have confidence about the future.”
The Environment Agency paid the lion's share of the almost £5m bill but we also provided £400,000 towards the cost of the scheme, including £200,000 of contributions from developers who have built new homes in Worthing.
This month we also launched the Pride in Worthing initiative to create a cleaner, greener Worthing that reflects the pride people already have in the town, joining with its partners, businesses, community groups and residents to improve the area for everyone.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds a year are to be spent on a new and sustained focus on transforming and maintaining the heart of Worthing town centre and the seafront throughout the year.
Discussions will be held this summer and autumn to develop a priority list of work to be done, including the creation of a more concentrated regular cleansing routine.
Alongside that, work has begun on a masterplan for Worthing, to set out clearly what Worthing needs, where the opportunities are and how we will co-ordinate with partners to seek investment and deliver long-term growth for the borough.
To learn more about the masterplan project, see:
Photo: one of the new groynes on Worthing Beach
(PR26-067)
Page last updated: 30 July 2026