Brighton & Hove's share of the £36.5m Marina to River Adur sea defences falls to £4.5m after a bigger Environment Agency grant. Cabinet votes on 12 November.

Brighton & Hove City Council’s bill for new sea defences is set to fall from £11 million to £4.5 million. The Environment Agency has agreed to pay far more towards the scheme.

The Brighton Marina to River Adur scheme will now cost £36.5 million, according to the report to Cabinet on Thursday 12 November. That is down from the £41.5 million overall value agreed in April 2025. The council leads it with Adur & Worthing Councils, Shoreham Port Authority and the Environment Agency.

Who pays

The Environment Agency’s grant rises from £14 million to £25.9 million, after what the report calls “successful negotiations”. Outside contributions, including from Shoreham Port Authority, rise from £1.7 million to £6.1 million.

Bar chart of funding for the Brighton Marina to River Adur sea defence scheme. Council borrowing falls from £11m to £4.5m, the Environment Agency grant rises from £14m to £25.9m and outside contributions rise from £1.7m to £6.1m.
Funding before and after the changes going to Cabinet. Chart by The Brighton Times
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The saving is on borrowing, so it reduces what the council must repay. That matters with the council forecasting a £26.446 million overspend this year.

What is being built

The scheme has three phases:

  • Phase 1: design, approvals and work at Basin Road and the Lagoon, now substantially complete
  • Phase 2: defences at King’s Esplanade in Hove and Southwick Beach, due to finish in 2026
  • Phase 3: sea wall repairs, new rock revetments and restored public access, mainly in Shoreham Port

Phase 3 lies mainly outside the city, in the Adur & Worthing area just west of Portslade. Cabinet is asked to start an open tender for it, at about £13.5 million. Officers would award the contract. The whole scheme is due to end in March 2028.

The report says that dropping Phase 3 would raise the risk of erosion and flooding. It lists the port, utilities, transport links, jobs and nearby communities among what is at stake.

What it means for you

The council avoids £6.5 million of planned borrowing if Cabinet agrees. In the city, the work you can see is at King’s Esplanade in Hove. The next phase will mostly happen further west, at the port.