Why Britain did not widely adopt coastal missile batteries

Why did Britain not adopt coastal anti-ship missile batteries more widely during the Cold War?

The idea required more defence spending and a strategic view that Britain's flanks needed protection beyond NATO's Central Front.

Wider coastal missile deployment required defence spending and a willingness to treat Britain's flanks as vulnerable. The answer links procurement to NATO's focus on the Central Front, which encouraged confidence that the main land battle would shield Britain. The northern approaches complicated that assumption and left a case for defenses outside the Central Front. The weapon proposal therefore depended on alliance strategy and political priorities as much as technical feasibility.