New pictures highlight coastal erosion
By Victoria Leggett (Eastern Daily Press, 06 February 2009)
Teetering on the edge, these precariously-placed houses on the cliff top at Happisburgh have become some of the most recognisable symbols of coastal erosion in the UK.
These new aerial photographs of the village's coastline, taken on Wednesday, highlight the latest changes taking place at one of Norfolk's most vulnerable spots.
While the carefully balanced homes and dilapidated remnants of the revetments and groynes - the area's original sea defences built in 1959 - are familiar sights, a number of new landmarks illustrate the ongoing battle with the sea.
To the south at Cart Gap, the new life-boat ramp can be seen just two weeks off completion. In 2003 the Happisburgh crew was forced to move along the coast after the lifeboat ramp running from the clifftop to the beach fell victim to erosion.
The new ramp is being built to accommodate a new lifeboat which will soon come to Cart Gap. As well as the existing D class boat, the crew will operate an Atlantic 75, which has a greater range than the current boat and is better suited to operations in rough weather.
Between Happisburgh and Cart Gap, at Low Light, which is considered a potential back door to the Broads because of its low height above sea level, 4,000 tonnes of rock has been recently placed to help temper the force of the tide.
The boulders were donated to North Norfolk District Council by the Environment Agency as leftovers from a major shoreline scheme nearby at Sea Palling and Eccles. Brian Farrow, from the council, said while some of the rock would stay where it was, a portion would be moved towards the centre of the village.
Malcolm Kerby, from the Coastal Concern Action Group (CCAG), hoped a much closer-to-earth look at this ever-decreasing village would stick in the minds of members of the Royal Commission who visited yesterday.
About 20 of the government investigators were taken for a walk along the coast before listening to a talk by Mr Kerby, who campaigns for compensation for villagers losing their homes to the sea.
Mr Kerby said he did not expect the visit to prompt any instant action from the government but hoped it would add further pressure. "The meeting was part of the building blocks of the overall case we are presenting," he said.
The action group co-ordinator hoped to emphasis the human consequences of coastal erosion and help the group to understand what is happening in north Norfolk.
He said: "I think that's the biggest obstacle. It's very easy for the government and government experts to say we can't afford to do this, but they have to understand what those decisions mean."