Residents of Hemsby, Norfolk, have been warned that some homes in the village may no longer be sustainable as coastal erosion continues unchecked.
About 200 people attended a meeting at Hemsby Village Hall on Monday to hear experts outline the risks facing the community. Since 2013, more than 25 homes along The Marrams road have been lost to storms and the erosion of sandy cliffs.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s coastal manager, Giles Bloomfield, explained that a 25-metre-deep channel in the seabed is moving closer to the shore. This is changing tidal flows, lowering beach levels year-on-year, and eroding cliffs. He told residents: “The difficulty I have is I can’t tell you when that next big storm is going to come, so I have to tell you [that] you have to seriously contemplate your next steps. And I can’t give you any more warning than that.”
Fisherman Paul Lines, who has lived in Hemsby for 25 years, disputed the evidence, claiming that sand pumped to nearby Sea Palling and Bacton to protect beaches and gas terminals created a sandbar off Winterton, which has affected tidal flows near Hemsby. Mr Bloomfield rejected this, saying the beach must move inland to remain stable, inevitably coming into conflict with homes. He warned that moving coastal defences would cost millions and only delay the loss of properties.
Joanne Bowling, 37, who lives on Fakes Road with her husband and three children in a house inherited from her grandfather, voiced concerns about her family’s future. “If our house goes, where will me and my kids go? There’s no way we can afford a house. Will we be made homeless?” she asked. The council advised residents to discuss their individual situations before they become urgent.
Jason Lomasz, whose family owns holiday cottages near Great Yarmouth, was told that concrete blocks placed on the beach could make residents personally liable if they collapsed and caused injury or death. Council chief executive Sheila Oxtoby said the authority would not remove defences but would intervene if they posed a serious risk.
Peter Riches, managing agent for The Crown Estate, which owns the coastline between high and low water marks, reminded residents that any assets placed on the beach must be authorised. “It isn’t a free-for-all. [We] expect that person to take responsibility,” he said.
Frustration ran high at the meeting. One resident suggested closing the beach to protect homes, while another, Jackie, said: “We are more worried about houses that we’ve worked hard for, that we can’t afford to lose. Why can’t we have rocks to protect them? If we can’t walk from Hemsby to Scratby, so what?”
Mr Bloomfield responded that hard defences only protect the immediate area. “If you’re putting a hard point in, the erosion will happen either side. If you put in a hard point, you’re saying ‘I’m alright Jack!'”
