It is extremely regrettable and highly possible that global warming, sea level rise and climate change will have little ‘work’ to do in terms of wrecking our coast as we know it and the lives of all who live and work in the coastal zone as we progress through this century. Our Government will already have done that long before we/they know or understand what the real extent the effects of climate change may be.

By assuming the worst and throwing away communities and land around our coast now we are not managing the problem we are abdicating our responsibilities to future generations and binding them into costs they may never have been forced to bear had we been more pragmatic in our approach today.

Read the full article by Malcolm Kerby on the CCAG website

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) announced today its full support for action to maintain the Norfolk Broads as a freshwater habitat and recreational amenity, for as long as practicable, rather than leaving it to the predations of the sea through a ‘managed retreat policy’ as postulated in one of the options for consideration in a recent Natural England report on the subject.

The announcement comes in support of recent statements by the Environment Agency and the Broads Society that the ‘line should be held as long as possible,‘ despite the threat of rising sea levels.

Read the full press release on the Inland Waterways Association website

Protecting our communities and defending Norfolk’s coastline: Parliamentary Petition

Linked below, you will find a copy of the Parliamentary Petition I have launched to give local people and others the chance to send a very clear message to the Government and the Environment Agency that this part of Norfolk MUST be protected. Reassurance to local people is essential.

As you will probably know, Malcolm Kerby – from Coastal Concern Action Group – and I have held meetings in Hickling, Potter Heigham and Sea Palling. Hundreds of people have turned out to each meeting. There was strong support for the plan to collect as many signatures as possible on this petition. Anything you can do to help collect signatures would be really appreciated. All those who visit this beautiful area should also have the chance to sign up. Please feel free to photocopy the petition as often as you wish.

I am also keen for as many people as possible to write to me expressing their views. All letters and emails will be presented to the Minister and to the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency – as well as Natural England. You should address letters to 15 Market Place in North Walsham. Emails should be sent to normanlamb@hotmail.com

We are very fortunate that we have strong communities locally. It is very important to make ourselves heard and to speak with one voice.

Many thanks in anticipation for any help you can offer.

Best wishes,

Norman Lamb,

Member of Parliament for North Norfolk

Download the Parliamentary Petition (PDF)

Letter in the Guardian:

When it comes to coastal erosion (Waves of destruction, G2, April 17), unlike most other European countries we don’t have a solidarity fund to compensate people for such natural disasters, and so the last owner is expected to pay when their house is demolished.

To stop a perverse game of beggar-my-neighbour where the unscrupulous try to sell to unsuspecting buyers, we should be leasing such coastal properties from the sea. Any land that is likely to disappear within a century would in effect become leasehold and the time left stated on the title deeds. In addition to a solidarity fund, limited compensation could be paid if such estimates proved to be wrong. The British Geological Survey, which already undertakes coastal surveys, could provide fairly reliable estimates revised every decade for places with cliffs like Happisburgh. This would be rather more problematic further south along the Norfolk coast since a major breach to this narrow barrier could happen any time this century.

Once breached, the northern Norfolk broads and several villages would be lost, and so a proper cost/benefit analysis is urgently required. Coastal defences would interfere with the movement of sediment down the east coast of England and have to be balanced against any likely impacts further down the coast.

David Nowell
Fellow, Geological Society

AS head of the army, his job is to defend the realm against any incursion. Now General Sir Richard Dannatt has taken up arms against a new invader – the North Sea, which under a bureaucratic plan may be allowed to take over swathes of his beloved Norfolk Broads.

Dannatt, chief of the general staff, has warned of the “tragedy” threatening the area if the scheme is put into effect. It would see the defences holding back the sea retreat four miles from a stretch of East Anglian coast, surrendering 25 square miles of territory – including five villages – to rising sea levels.

Read the full story by Roger Waite on the Times website

All 3 meetings were chaired by Malcolm Kerby of Coastal Concern Action Group in conjunction with Norman Lamb MP and were organised to give villagers the chance to voice their concerns following recent newspaper reports on Natural England plans to “abandon sea defences” in this area.

…

These are the main, recurring points from the meetings, and the attendance at the meetings show the strength of feeling of the local communities.

The vast majority agree that the coast must be defended, social justice must be included in any plan & the local communities will fight for their rights in accordance with the Human Rights Act if necessary.

They will petition the Government for assurances that this area will be defended.

Download CCAG notes from public meetings, April 2008 (PDF)

Earlier this week 57 Knipe Point Drive was a two-bedroom bungalow on a clifftop estate worth about £150,000. This morning the house is probably worth next to nothing, even though it boasts a new sea view extending for miles over the woodland and shingle of National Trust-owned Cayton Bay on the Yorkshire coast.

Diggers have demolished two bungalows that stood between number 57 and the cliff edge. The move prevented the houses following in the wake of their well-kept gardens and patios, which plunged 30 metres into the bay below, leaving the hamlet one of the most precarious in the UK. Dramatic landslips caused by unexplained water saturation in the cliff have claimed about seven metres of land at Knipe Point over the past month, and demolition has created a gap in the lines of bright white homes that were worth a total of around £9m.

Read the full story by Fay Schlesinger on the Guardian website

“We must be pragmatic about the forthcoming environmental challenges, which is why Natural England is undertaking groundbreaking research

“Society needs to face up to the stark realities of climate change. We are locked into unavoidable changes for at least the next 50 years; we all know that, not least because all of us have had it drummed into us over the past few years. It’s when the examples start to filter through into people’s lives that reality hits.

“Natural England is leading on groundbreaking research to assess the potential impact that climate change may have on England’s natural environment. Our research in the Norfolk Broads is just the beginning of the journey, as we learn how to help our wildlife adapt to the impact of climate change at a landscape scale.”

Read the full article by Martin Doughty on the Guardian “comment is free” Website

Britain’s top soldier – who has spent a professional lifetime defending the realm – last night joined the battle to save huge swathes of Norfolk from being surrendered to the sea.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, who is a Norfolk farmer and president of the 2008 Royal Norfolk Show, said it would be a tragedy if plans to allow the sea to breach coastal defences between Horsey and Winterton, were allowed to go ahead.

Speaking exclusively to the EDP, Sir Richard said he was shocked to hear that the area around Horsey – one of his favourite locations in the county – was at the heart of proposals to allow the sea defences to be breached in a move that would see 25 sq miles of the Broads surrendered to the sea.

Sir Richard, who as Chief of the General Staff is the professional head of the British Army, said: “I think it would be a tragedy if we allowed that area to be given up and inundated.”

The General, who pointed out that he spent his professional life “defending UK interests” and by definition, potentially protecting UK territory, added: “I think to give up a great chunk of Norfolk to the sea without a fight is something I find quite counter-intuitive and quite difficult to do.

Read the full story on the EDP website

The government must continue to fund coastal defence projects to prevent the “completely unacceptable” loss of 25 square miles of the Broads to the sea. That is the plea from the Broads Society which said it was “extremely concerned” to learn of proposals being considered by government conservation advisers Natural England that, if adopted, would lead to thousands of acres of land, hundreds of homes and some of Norfolk’s top wildlife sites being surrendered to the sea.

Read the full story by on the EDP website

Read the press release on the Broads Society website