Coastal grasslands, as a habitat, are found along much of the immediate coastline. It only becomes a landscape type where the characteristic coarse grasses, exposed by the full force of the coast, are backed by the southern escarpment and dividing it from the inland landscapes. A lack of development and the sweeping coastal views underpin a natural appearance.

Landscape change

• Policy driven farming changes over the last seventy years have resulted in concentration of stock levels, limiting the availability of livestock to graze land of low agricultural, but high environmental value such as the rough coastal grasslands.
• Some historical conversion from pastoral grasslands to an arable land use on the higher ground has taken place, detracting from the textured, natural character of the rough coastal grasslands.
• Little woodland planting has taken place, maintaining the open coastal character.
• The increasing traffic levels and some of tourist-based infrastructure have brought pressures for further development and amenity planting and signage towards the coasts.
• Modern tourist-based developments in more open locations, have weakened the pattern of the undeveloped character.
• Areas managed under the National Trust should remain in positive management.
• Agriculture becoming more market driven with intensification of production and farm diversification. Traditional agricultural areas are likely to diversity, resulting in the conversion of agricultural buildings to residential or industrial uses and the establishment of secondary enterprises.
• There will be continued visitor-based development pressures along the coast with increases in traffic levels along the coast. This may increase the proliferation of signage and visitor management facilities.