A new boardwalk gives access at all states of the tide to East Head, and Marram grass is being planted in the new area to help stabilise the material.

East Head is an important sand dune feature at the entrance to Chichester Harbour on the south coast of the UK. It is used for recreation by many thousands of walkers and tourists. The Hinge, the point of the dune system that connects it to the land, is currently under threat from erosion, which is of great concern to local people and Chichester Harbour Conservancy.

If The Hinge is breached it may have a significant impact on the flow of water through the harbour entrance, therefore affecting the deep water channels and ultimately the use of the harbour for navigation and marine related businesses.

A rock berm alongside the inside of The Hinge was put in place by the Conservancy in 2000, but planning permission for the berm has expired. Work on The Hinge started in early June using earth moving equipment, and took around two weeks. Prior to the work, the sea had already broken through The Hinge by over-washing a narrow strip connecting East Head to the shore. Had this been allowed to continue, a new tidal channel might have formed, exposing to wave action areas that are currently sheltered and damage to fragile footpaths and wildlife habitats might have ensued.

A tidal breach would also have resulted in the mobilisation of a great deal more material and as a result, sedimentation patterns in the harbour could change, reducing the navigability in large parts of the harbour.

Left unprotected, East Head could disappear altogether, whilst the exposure of the Snowhill Creek flood defences to increased wave action could result in their failure and consequent flooding of West Wittering village centre.