Southwick Reef Launch

Southwick Reef is an innovative project to enhance marine biodiversity and support wildlife along the East Harbour Arm at Southwick Beach, Shoreham Port. Delivered in partnership with Adur and Worthing Councils, Brighton and Hove City Council, Sussex Bay, Sussex Dolphin Project and University of Brighton.

The project incorporates nature inclusive design in the form of living sea wall tiles (supplied by Inland Coastal and Marina Systems), intertidal cubes (supplied by ARC Marine) and vertical micro pools (supplied by Artecology), to create what is hoped will be a unique marine habitat.

In a workshop held earlier this year, elements of the micro pools were created by children from Eastbrook Primary Academy. Having now been installed into the micro pools, these structures and the biodiversity they are already beginning to support can now be seen!

The launch will include short presentations on the background to the project, an overview of ongoing research measuring the ecological and societal benefits of eco-engineering and celebrating reaching this stage. Going forward the feature will be permanently accessible to the public at low tide, offering a unique opportunity to engage with marine species and observe the benefits of ecological restoration firsthand.

The event will be held entirely outside. Please dress warmly and be sure to check the weather forecast on the morning of the event. Should we need to cancel the event due to adverse weather conditions, you will be notified via email.

Accessibility

Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements. The reef is wheelchair accessible to view from a short distance from the promenade and we will do our best to ensure the path is as clear as possible but please be aware that due to the time of year and rougher weather, some shingle may be present on the path.

Where to meet

Please meet our team outside on the terrace at Port Kitchen to sign in. There will then be a short walk (5-10 minutes) over to the reef.

Getting here

We encourage all visitors to the Port to travel sustainably where possible. We are a short walk (5 minutes) from Southwick Train Station and the 700 bus stops close to the entrance to Nautilus House (our main office in Southwick). The bus stop name is 'Grange Road'. We have plenty of bike storage available in Port Kitchen. If you are planning to arrive by car, there are a small number of paid for parking bays to the left of the Port Kitchen building, and further paid for spaces available at Lady Bee Marina. Street parking is also available in Southwick, and a paid for car park is located behind the Co Op store.