Project overview
Binnies was appointed by the National Trust and the Heritage Coast Partnership to develop a shared, long-term vision for the coastline stretching from Crimdon to the River Tyne, including the Durham Heritage Coast. The project focused on translating environmental ambition into a clear, investable framework that could attract sustained public and private funding for nature restoration, climate resilience and community benefit.
Delivered as part of the Championing Coastal Coordination (3Cs) programme, the work brought together a wide partnership of public bodies, conservation organisations, infrastructure owners and investors to build consensus around the future of this nationally significant landscape.
Key project stats
The challenge
This stretch of the North East coastline is rich in natural, cultural and heritage value but faces long-term pressures from erosion, habitat loss, pollution and climate change. While multiple initiatives and funding programmes were already in place, these were often limited in scale, geography or duration, restricting their ability to deliver lasting, landscape-scale change.
Partners recognised that significant opportunities existed through emerging funding mechanisms such as biodiversity net gain (BNG), landscape recovery schemes and green finance. However, there was no single, coordinated evidence base or shared understanding of how these opportunities could be accessed, aligned or progressed. Without this, there was a risk of continued under-investment, fragmented delivery and missed social and environmental benefits for local communities.
Our approach
Binnies led a collaborative, evidence-led process to re-imagine the coastline as a coherent investment landscape for nature and people. Working closely with the National Trust, Heritage Coast Partnershipand project partners, the team coordinated regional data sets using GIS to establish a shared baseline of opportunities, constraints and priorities.
Binnies designed and facilitated a programme of online workshops and one-to-one meetings, engaging 26 organisations and 45 individuals across the public, private and third sectors. This ensured the vision reflected a wide range of perspectives, helped avoid duplication of effort and built confidence in a collective way forward.
For three priority coastal areas, covering approximately 400 hectares, Binnies developed high-level ecological and natural capital options and assessed their potential to deliver environmental uplift, social value and economic return. Three future scenarios were explored – nature-first, carbon-focused and water-focused – enabling partners to understand the trade-offs, benefits and risks associated with different approaches.
A key added value was Binnies’ engagement with the investment community. By testing options with investors and clearly communicating the evolving nature investment landscape, the team helped partners move from aspiration to practical, fundable propositions.
The outcomes
The project established a shared understanding of:
- the scale and type of nature recovery opportunity along the coast
- the range of public and private funding mechanisms available
- realistic pathways for securing long-term investment.
Partners are now better equipped to develop a coordinated funding strategy that supports habitat restoration, improved access, pollution remediation and stronger connections with local communities. The work provides a robust platform for future delivery and positions the coastline to attract sustained investment at landscape scale.
As with the Burton Washlands Landscape Vision, the project demonstrates how integrating environmental science, natural capital assessment and collaborative engagement can unlock value for people, places and nature.
- Fragmented planning and investment across the coastline, with multiple short-term initiatives but no shared, long-term framework to deliver landscape-scale benefits
- Limited capacity and data consistency among partners to identify, evaluate and progress nature-based investment opportunities, particularly across public and private funding mechanisms
- Complex stakeholder landscape, with diverse priorities, expectations and levels of understanding around nature recovery, funding routes and future delivery
- Developed a shared evidence base and vision, coordinating regional data sets and establishing a common understanding of opportunities, constraints and priorities across the coastline
- Translated environmental ambition into investable options, using natural capital, BNG and scenario-based assessments to test and compare nature-led recovery pathways at scale
- Enabled collaboration and confidence, facilitating structured engagement with 26 partner organisations and the investment community to build consensus and define clear next steps for long-term funding
Benefits and achievements
People
Brought together 26 organisations and 45 stakeholders through workshops and one-to-one engagement, building shared understanding, trust and confidence to progress long-term investment that supports local communities and coastal access
Places
Established a coordinated, landscape-scale vision across three priority coastal areas covering approximately 400 hectares, providing a clear spatial framework to guide future funding, partnership working and delivery
Nature
Developed and tested three nature recovery scenarios – nature-first, carbon-focused and water-focused – demonstrating how large-scale habitat restoration can deliver ecological uplift alongside economic and investment value, including BNG