Canterbury City Council engineers, working with contractor Chunnel Plant, undertook a beach recycling operation in October 2017 to boast coastal defences at Swalecliffe. In total 12,500 tonnes (~7,000m3) of shingle was moved from where it accretes at the western end of Long Rock, to depleted areas to the east of Long Rock and within the groyne bays fronting Seaview Holiday Park. Natural England gave assent to the works within Long Rock, which has several environmental designations including SPA, SAC and SSSI. As part of the works the former mouth of the Swalecliffe Brook, and a blocked part of its channel, were dug out in order to provide a physical barrier to protect Turnstone roasting on the shingle bund, and to reconnect the saline habitat to the sea to allow saltwater to refresh the site. This work also provided a short term reduction in backwater flood risk from the blocked river mouth, whilst plans to create a permanent outfall for the Swalecliffe Brook are progressed.
