The Isle of Sheppey sits off the North Kent Coast, connected to the mainland by a single dual carriageway. Like many traditional seaside destinations the introduction of cheap European flights has had a dramatic effect on the once popular holiday destination, with Sheppey now having one of the highest poverty levels in the United Kingdom.
The island itself suffers from drastic coastal erosion, particularly on the North coast with up to 1.2 metres lost in landslides and cliff falls every year. The government has deemed any intervention to be both too costly and not in the public interest, much to the dismay of residence who’s properties have either already either been lost to the sea or sit precariously close to the cliff edge and are projected to be lost in the near future.
Benjamin Hay is a Kent based photographer and lens based practitioner who’s work primarily examines the relationship between people, place and the built environment.