Beyond Retreat: Realigning the Welsh Coast for Resilient Inhabitation

Fairbourne, a small village on the Welsh coastline, is zoned for coastal realignment as part of the UK’s Shoreline Management Plan. Driven by compounding flood risks and outdated structural defenses, the existing government plan proposes the removal of all residents and infrastructures, and the return of the land to salt marsh. Wales is a county whose identity is tied to its coastline, and with the majority of the population living and working in the coastal zone, the realignment of at-risk communities will contribute to a large-scale loss of culture, identity and livelihood. Fairbourne will be the first of many communities placed at increasing risk due to sea level rise, and although scheduled to commence in 2025, relocation efforts are yet to materialize, as residents fight to remain in place. This creates an opportunity to establish new coastal occupation strategies that have the capacity to operate in future conditions of uncertainty and support the continued habitation of Wales’s coastline.

“Beyond Retreat” presents an alternative settlement strategy for Fairbourne, that would enable the community to prepare for, and adapt to, the impacts of sea level rise, whilst minimizing community displacement, restoring coastal ecosystems, and regenerating local tourism. Operating in a scenario in which the Shoreline Management Plan for realignment is approved, the project presents a phased village-level masterplan. The strategy is driven by hydrological and ecological processes and grounded the unique culture of UK seaside holiday towns.