Taxonomy term

Coastal communities are some of the most beautiful places in England and many of the country’s wealthiest spots are on the coast.

But it is also true in England that a disproportionate number of the places suffering the most deprivation, worst physical and mental health outcomes and lowest healthy life expectancy are on the coast too.

All this may read contradictory, but coastal communities haven’t ended up in this position by accident.

Many were once thriving seaside economies, built on tourism and seasonal work, but as those patterns changed, they left behind communities with deep roots but with fewer opportunities than those in urban and rural communities.

This deteriorating state of coastal living standards is driven by deprivation and the complex and challenging issues around housing, transport and employment, which together lead to disproportionate lower levels of physical activity.

As Sport England highlight with their sustainability strategy, Every Move, adding to these challenges is that those facing the greatest inequalities are often the least active and the most affected by climate change.

Plus, coastal communities are facing significant climate effects through coastal erosion, flooding and the fact that industries on the coast are the ones producing the majority of the UK’s carbon emissions.

So how can we turn the tide on physical inactivity on the coast?

Can you define ‘coast’?

It is amazing that whilst we are an island, there is no agreed government definition for the term ‘coast’, unlike clear definitions for urban and rural areas.

This leads to the coast often being lost in talks around deprivation as the debate revolves around those in urban and rural areas.

The Coastal Navigators Network, which tackles health inequalities on the coast, has identified that whilst coastal communities are often small individual places, when considered together, they are as large and significant as a national population group (19%) and the near equivalent of the entire North West and North East regions combined.

So with this in mind, what inequalities do people living in coastal areas face in terms of access to sport and physical activity?

The most obvious one is that for coastal communities half their catchment area is in the sea!

Away games are often long car journeys to the far away urban areas for at least half of their season and let's not forget about those extra carbon emissions!

However, it is the opposite for their urban colleagues, who consider their fixture in the season on the coast as going to the seaside for the day!

Sport and physical activity has come late to the policy work across England about improving opportunities for coastal communities, but is now beginning to build the partnerships with organisations like the Coastal Communities Alliance, OneCoast, the Coastal Navigators Network, and the Coastal Cultural Network.

In fact, in February 2026, the APPG Coastal Communities have scheduled a briefing session on the Culture, Creative & Sport Sector in coastal communities. (Please note that while no final information is available yet, the Coastal Community Alliance is currently organising this with the APPG, so check their sites and socials for more information.)

Where is the good work happening?

Five years on from its launch, Active Withernsea is making a real difference in creating physical activity opportunities and lifestyles and transforming its local community.

Local data by Sport England-funded Active Withernsea highlights that while in 2018, 44% of people in Withernsea were inactive (that is doing under 30 minutes of exercise a week), this number has gone down to 15 % of residents being inactive in 2024.

Further, the percentage of residents who are now active increased from 44% to 62% over this time period.

Happiness and satisfaction with life have also improved and anxiety amongst Withernsea residents has decreased, while activity for those with a disability has seen the biggest increase.

A Physical Activity and Community Engagement (PACE) network has been established to lead physical activity projects going forward and ensure that the work continues with more than 100 residents, groups and partners now directing the next steps to continue to deliver physical activity for the people of Withernsea.

What Active Withernsea has shown is that when national policy makers do focus on coastal communities, significant change can help increase physical activity levels. 

What is also clear is that Sport England place-based funding has begun to turn the tide for coastal communities and that, together, we will keep working to improve the lives of those living by the sea.

Decisions about where new homes are built, how streets are laid out and whether parks, pavements and public transport are prioritised, all play a role in shaping how active people can be in their daily lives.

Yet too often, physical activity is seen as a leisure issue, rather than a systemic one rooted in spatial planning, social justice and public health.

To effectively embed physical activity into our environments and daily routines must be a shared ambition across sectors and professions – from planning and transport, to health and housing, as well as for leisure and open-space management.

Want to go out to play?

For example, it is no use creating miles of cycle paths if we are creating homes and town centres without space for secure cycle storage, not providing opportunities for our children to learn to ride bikes through programmes like Bikeability, or addressing poor attitudes towards cycling and reducing traffic speeds so that people (especially parents and caregivers) feel it is safe to ride even short distances.

Equally, we cannot expect our children to play out, like many of us used to do back in the day, if their neighbourhood streets and doorstep places are full of parked cars (too often on pavements) and moving traffic.

Research shows that basic, free outdoor play has fallen to its lowest level ever, with now only one in four children playing outside regularly compared to their grandparents’ generation, where almost three-quarters played outside on a regular basis.

Too often when we think about play in neighbourhoods, we default to thinking about structured activity and providing spaces that are designated and equipped.

Whilst play parks are important assets for all neighbourhoods, the doorstep and immediate street is also critical, and importantly, a space for children to play on a daily basis.

Accessible, safe street space is the most inclusive step we could take to make places more active and friendly for children, meaning we need to grapple with car and parking-centric design.

All of this is why a systems approach is needed – one that listens to communities, addresses inequalities and prioritises long-term health outcomes in decisions about land usage and investment.

Active environments cannot be a ‘nice to have’; they must be seen as essential infrastructure for a healthier, more equitable future.

The Town and Country Planning Association works to make homes, places and communities in which everyone can thrive.

We work to influence and shape the planning system at the national and local level, but we recognise the multi-dimensional nature of place-making and how places and spaces are shaped by communities and can be ‘activated’ for activity.

For the last six years, in a partnership with Sport England, we have worked to create healthier, more active communities, building knowledge and capacity with partners and local authorities and advocating for health and activity to be embedded in planning policy.

Tackling climate change and maintaining the health benefits of sport are two sides of the same coin, not mutually exclusive.

And don’t let anyone tell you it’s pointless doing anything in England as ultimately it’s all about China and India.

Our investment does make a direct difference, whether it’s simple adaptation – like planting trees around sport pitches to reduce the impact of flooding and getting people back playing more quickly – or reducing energy costs of councils, which can be reinvested in sports, by upgrading swimming pools through new technologies.

Secondly, our royal charter explicitly sets out Sport England’s duty to promote the ethical practice of sport and physical activity.

It’s a core part of our remit and environmental sustainability and net zero are at the heart of most ethical organisational frameworks, including the UN’s sustainable development goals.

Thirdly and finally, sport has a unique global megaphone to reach, mobilise and galvanise people.

With an estimated three billion fans worldwide – roughly a third of the global population – the sports sector is a direct and practical mouthpiece to communicate climate and energy issues to large and diverse audiences.

And Sport England has the power to be the nation’s biggest convener – from the more than 130 system partners, including the national governing bodies of sport to our precious grassroots community system, where 17.2m or more than 35% of the population are members. Why wouldn’t we use this voice and network to tackle the biggest challenge facing the planet?

We still have a lot of work to do, but it was a proud moment to beat such strong competition in the likes of Formula E, the International Olympic Committee, Sail GP, the MCC and Wembley Stadium.

Thanks to the Sport Industry Awards for their recognition that we are on the right track and thanks to so many of you who have made a difference at Sport England.

Thanks to Tim Hollingsworth, our CEO, for championing this work and speaking eloquently at the ceremony. Invariably we are doing this on the side of the desk on top of our wider work, because we believe it matters.

Winning awards shouldn’t be why we do this work, but it can give us confidence, pride and energy to help us go faster.

Now for accelerating our work on the journey.

Rising costs, slow wage growth and job insecurity mean people have less disposable income for things like gym memberships, fitness classes and sports participation.

Families are making tough choices about where to spend and for many, paid-for physical activity is slipping down the priority list.

At the same time, local authority budgets remain stretched, making it harder to provide affordable sport and leisure facilities.

Some communities are feeling the impact more than others, deepening inequalities in access to physical activity.

This shift means organisations may need to rethink pricing models to keep participation affordable, local authorities will have to balance economic constraints with long-term health benefits and the rise of low-cost and community-driven physical activity – like parkrun or outdoor group workouts – could accelerate.

As a result, we can see that affordability and accessibility are becoming even bigger factors in how people stay active.

Climate change is already changing the way we move

Three years ago, we identified sustainability and climate change as an important but emerging trend. Now, it’s clear: it’s not just emerging. It’s here.

Heatwaves are affecting summer participation in outdoor sports, floodings are making pitches and playing fields unusable, and government sustainability targets are reshaping sports infrastructure and travel habits.

But there’s a tension emerging: economic pressures could slow down sustainability efforts in sport and leisure because when people are struggling to make ends meet, will eco-friendly sports initiatives remain a priority, or will financial concerns push them down the agenda?

Facility managers will need to balance sustainability investments with budget realities, outdoor sports may need to adapt to new weather patterns – from changing competition calendars to investing in weather-resistant facilities – and we can see that the push for active travel, such as walking and cycling, is growing but whether it will be supported at a local level is something that remains uncertain.

Climate change isn’t a future issue – it’s a right now issue, and sport and physical activity will have to adapt.

Ok, so what’s next?

This is just a snapshot.

As we mentioned, the full Horizon Scan explores 16 key trends across six broad themes, from demographic changes to the role of digital technology in sport.

For those working in the sector, this isn’t just about awareness – it’s about action, so we encourage you to read the report and to ask yourself questions like:

• what challenges or opportunities do these trends present for my organisation?
• how can we ensure sport and physical activity remain inclusive, accessible and resilient in the face of change?
• what can we do now to prepare for the next wave of shifts?

English music legend David Bowie once said: “Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.”

Let's listen.