Recently, I visited Crantock Beach. It’s beautiful, a surf spot and holiday destination, but also a coastline vulnerable to big Atlantic swells and storms.

Here I met members of the Crantock Surf Life Saving (SLS) Club, who are fundraising for a new clubhouse, as their current one is in disrepair and on the edge of the cliff.

With 160 members, mainly local children, the club has a fantastic reputation and long waiting list. This is where lots of young people train to become lifeguards, an essential skill in Cornwall. With several rip currents caused by the movement of sand, SLS members are trained to spot and navigate them safely. The RNLI also operates from the clubhouse.

While on site, I was shown the rapid movement of the dunes. Some shifting is natural, but the current pace and scale are beyond what’s expected. This accelerated change has forced the club to move equipment and shore up the shed to stay operational.

I also met Jolyon from Making Space for Sand (MS4S), which is a project dedicated to building resilience and adaptability along the coast. They collect data to understand how erosion, sea level rise and storm activity affect our shores. Their support has helped the SLS club stay open after structural damage, providing secure container units to protect equipment so it’s accessible at all tide levels. MS4S helped identify that a new, resilient moveable clubhouse can safely be constructed on the same site, and they donated a portion of funding for the final stage of redevelopment.

The Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) is a national strategy that guides how we manage coastal change over the next 100 years. Cornwall’s SMP is formally embedded in its Local Plan. The idea is that planning decisions about homes, businesses, infrastructure and natural spaces make account for coastal risk. We are now in “epoch 2” of the plan, running until 2055. New data tells us there will be increasing pressures from rising sea levels and more frequent storms. In some areas, this means maintaining or improving defences; in others, it means preparing for changes such as relocating car parks, roads or buildings through ‘managed realignment’.

At Crantock, projections indicate that the car park will eventually be lost to coastal change. The University of Plymouth is collecting data on how the sands and sediment are shifting, helping create a clearer picture of what lies ahead. Understanding these patterns early ensures that facilities like the SLS clubhouse can be built to last as the climate continues to change.

Thinking long-term about how our coastline is changing is essential for communities across Cornwall. Climate change will bring challenges from rising sea levels to more powerful storms and increased flooding. Working with projects like Making Space 4 Sand and using the evidence and guidance of the Shoreline Management Plan, we can prepare, adapt and build resilience to protect our communities and the coastlines that make Cornwall so special.