Fairlight Preservation Trust

Originally founded in 1986 as the ‘Fairlight Coastal Preservation Association’ to campaign for sea defences to protect the cliff below Sea Rd which had been receding dramatically. The erosion was predicted to have reached Lower Waites Lane by 2037. The success of the campaign resulted in a granite berm costing £2.4 million (Construction News 30-09-1990) funded by the Ministry of Agriculture. Now over 30 years later, with very little subsequent cliff recession since it was built proves that it was a sound investment and the Association were right.

Having become dormant after the Sea Road berm the ‘Fairlight Coastal Preservation Association’ re-formed in August 2003 as a result of more land slips occurring, this time from the Rockmead Road area. This had started in 1997 and an engineer’s report predicted the loss of 18 houses in that area by 2005. This was different to the toe erosion caused by the sea at Sea Road. This is because of the predominance of clay in the soil rather than sandstone and called for a different approach. The ‘Fairlight Cove Preservation Trust’ was formed as a charity in November 2004 to carry on the work already started. This resulted in a scheme which combined deep wells with hydro-pneumatic pumps and re-profiling the slope that had been formed by the landslip, with a network of drains to take groundwater away and a limestone berm to stop the sea from eroding the base of the slope.

2014 saw the Trust start another new campaign to fill the gap between the two previous berms with a third one. This included fundraising to the tune of £75,000 as it was a condition of the Environment Agency Grant that the village contributed £150,000. Fairlight Parish Council provided the other £75,000. Starting in late August 2016, it was completed in early November of the same year.

The Trust is still very active even when not involved in one of these major projects as the cliff needs monitoring, the pumps need to be checked and to make sure that essential maintenance is carried out.