The end for the Broads?
By John Welch (Eastern Daily Press, 28 March 2008)
Hundreds of homes, thousands of acres of farmland and some of Norfolk's top wildlife sites would be surrendered to the sea under a radical plan being considered by conservation bosses. At least six villages would be wiped off the map under the proposals which would involve the flooding of 25sq miles (6,500 hectares) of the Broads. The plans, which are still at the discussion stage, were described as "devastating" by North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb and "horrifying" by Dr Martin George of the Broads Society, while Andrew Alston, who farms on the edge of the area that would be affected, said they were "political madness".
Under the proposals the sea would be allowed to breach coastal defences between Horsey and Winterton, flooding low-lying areas as far inland as Potter Heigham and Stalham, where new sea walls would be built. The area that would be affected is broadly the same as that which disappeared under water during the Horsey Floods of 1938, the most extensive floods in the area in living memory. The villages of Eccles, Sea Palling, Waxham, Horsey, Hickling and Potter Heigham, as well as parts of Somerton, would be lost to the sea, eventually reverting to reedbeds and saltmarsh to create a habitat for wildlife.
They have already been discussed behind closed doors at a conference in Norwich on climate change in the Broads, organised by Natural England and attended by representatives of the Environment Agency, Broads Authority and Norfolk County Council, plus other organisations.
The EDP has obtained a copy of the document outlining the proposals, listed as option four of four for the Upper Thurne basin in the face of rising sea levels. "Two retreated defences would be built at Potter Heigham and Stalham and land seaward of these would be breached, creating an embayment on the coast between Eccles-on-Sea and Winterton Ness," it reads. "The total flooded areas would thus be approximately 6,500ha. The broads (Martham, Horsey, Heigham Sound and Hickling) would become inundated by the sea, fen vegetation would be lost. It is likely over time that a spit would develop behind which coastal and inter-tidal habitats would develop."
The document says that maintaining coastal defences in their current position will become "increasingly difficult and expensive", adding: "The increasingly unsustainable nature of the Horsey to Winterton frontage beyond the next 20-50 years thus opens up the possibility of re-aligning the coast as described above within this timeframe." It continues: "There is an argument for progressing straight to option four, for it can also be argued that by selecting a radical option now, the right messages about the scale and severity of the impacts of climate change is delivered to the public. However, a decision to progress immediately to option four is likely to be met with strong political resistance and the up-front costs would be large."
A Natural England spokesman said: "The report is far from finalised and we will continue to look into and identify the responses required to climate change at a local level."