MPs and councillors have been warned to stop “selling false promises” of new sea defences to coastal villages already losing homes to the sea, as the focus shifts towards compensation for those affected.
Daniel Candon, Conservative cabinet member for economic growth at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said politicians had attempted to win votes by pledging new coastal protection for Hemsby, despite expert advice that such defences are unlikely to materialise.
Speaking at a council meeting on Thursday, he said villagers were now being forced to confront “hard truths”. Not only are new defences improbable, experts have also warned that they would be ineffective and could worsen erosion elsewhere along the coast. Councillors unanimously backed efforts to secure some form of compensation, potentially through a national insurance-style scheme, for people living in around 9,000 properties considered at risk.
‘Absolutely devastating’
Erosion at Hemsby has accelerated dramatically. In one night alone along a stretch of the cliffs, around 10 metres of land was lost, and 26 homes have since been demolished. The councillors claimed the rapid loss was not driven by recent storms but by natural tidal processes.
Carl Smith, Conservative leader of the council, described the situation as “absolutely devastating” for residents. He also expressed anger that, despite the pace of erosion over the past year, officials from the Environment Agency had not visited the village. The council is now calling for a national strategy for coastal communities, rather than a series of pilot schemes that have failed to deliver long-term support.
“This is not just about Hemsby,” Mr Smith said. “People affected by coastal change often don’t know who to turn to for help. Without structural change, residents will suffer immeasurably from the stress and emotional and financial burden.”
James Bensly, councillor for Hemsby and cabinet member for coastal management, said he could not accept a system that allowed people to “lose everything through no fault of their own”. Trevor Wainwright, leader of the Labour group, also criticised the Environment Agency for failing to move quickly enough to meet the scale of the challenge.
Mr Smith is now writing to the prime minister to urge greater support for communities affected by erosion.
When erosion reaches the dead
Coastal erosion in north Norfolk is not only threatening homes. 15 miles along the coast in Happisburgh, families are facing the distressing prospect that the remains of loved ones will need to be exhumed to prevent them falling into the sea.
Hundreds of people will be affected as erosion advances towards the churchyard at St Mary the Virgin, located around 80 metres from the cliffs. Two further burial sites in Trimingham and Mundesley are also at risk.
The issue was highlighted following an investigation by Coastwise, a scheme run by North Norfolk District Council, which concluded that new sea defences would not be “technically, environmentally or economically feasible”.
Frank Mason, 69, whose parents are buried at the site, said he was living in “limbo”. He wants a clear plan in place while he is still alive. David Wright, 66, regularly visits the grave of his son, who died from bone cancer aged 17, and fears the emotional toll of exhumation on his family.
Both men said the lack of clear timescales was compounding their distress. Updated Environment Agency projections suggest the cemetery could be at serious risk within 25 years, though officials warn major storms could accelerate this significantly.
Rob Goodliffe, the council’s coastal transition manager, said a range of options were being considered, but any decision would require agreement with the church and local residents. The cost of exhuming thousands of remains could run into millions of pounds, and complex legal issues risk delaying action.
Selling paradise on borrowed time
Despite the known risks, vulnerable coastal land continues to be sold – legally, but controversially.
Phil Merry and his partner Amy Parkinson, from Nottingham, paid £30,000 for a plot of land near Trimingham, hoping to live in a caravan and run a small campsite. Only later did they realise the land sits on one of Europe’s fastest eroding coastlines and is unlikely ever to receive planning permission.
The plot lies around 50 metres from the cliff edge. Local councillor Angie Fitch-Tillet told Mr Merry the land was “only good for grazing goats”. While she later admitted she had been “a little blunt”, she said she wanted to be realistic.
“There is no requirement for estate agents to warn buyers that land is in a coastal erosion risk zone,” she said. “Unless people find out beforehand, they are stuck.”
Mr Merry has since put the land back on the market, doubting he will recover his costs. While he does not blame the estate agent, he has accused council officials of showing little sympathy.
The issue has been raised with ministers, with council officials warning that buyers cannot make informed decisions when erosion risk is not clearly disclosed. While estate agents argue buyers must do their own due diligence, even they acknowledge the ethical grey area.
What is unfolding along the Norfolk coast – and elsewhere in East Anglia – is no longer a collection of one-off misfortunes but a failure of policy. Homes are having to be demolished before collapsing, graves are at risk and vulnerable land continues to be sold within the law, but against its spirit. With responsibility split between councils, agencies and central government, individuals are left to carry the cost. Until there is a national framework for compensation, disclosure and managed retreat, the advancing sea will continue to upend lives while decisions are delayed.
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