HOMEOWNERS and businesses threatened by coastal erosion have been offered funding help of £100,000.

Grants from the East Riding Coastal Change Pathfinder, a £1.2 million project funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has been made available.

East Riding Council can award grants of between £500 to £30,000 to schemes which provide coastal adaptation and coastal or estuarine flood resilience.

Hornsea North Cliff Boating Club has benefited from £30,000.

Club member Peter Loveday said: “It is all part of a rollback scheme.

“In the last year or so, we’ve lost 40 to 50ft of land, so we bought eight acres at the back.

“The money will be used for a new road to the site for touring caravans and to redevelop the compound for the boats.”

During the first small grants awards last spring, about £50,000 of the available £150,000 was allocated to coastal communities.

Mr Loveday said: “It’s a good idea and it means the work can be carried out at once, rather than steadily when we get the funding.

“It has helped us a lot and it wasn’t hard to get so I would encourage other people to look into going for the funding.”

Overall, the Coastal Pathfinder funding has been used to help more than 35 households in the region most at risk to coastal erosion.

A spokesman said Defra was evaluating how the scheme had gone.

Application forms and guidance notes will be available to download from www.eastriding.gov.uk from Monday, until the closing date for applications, Monday, April 30. Hard copies of all documents can also be requested by e-mailing coastal.management@eastriding. gov.uk or calling 01482 391728.

Story in the Hull Daily Mail

A COUNCIL has pledged to seek more funding to help communities affected by coastal erosion amid fears it may lose the support of residents when money for an innovative aid project dries up next month.

A £1.2m scheme funded by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is due to end in March, and East Riding Council, which administers it, said it was determined to explore other sources of finance to assist some of the most exposed households in England.

All of the money in the East Riding Coastal Change Pathfinder project (ERCCP) has now been allocated to households in the Aldbrough, Cowden, Hornsea, Skipsea, Tunstall and Ulrome areas, and 35 of them have been helped adapt to the impact of “coastal change”.

The scheme has also funded the demolition of 43 dangerous structures and properties.

Coun Jane Evison, portfolio holder for rural issues and cultural services, said: “The council cannot turn back the forces of nature but what we have for the first time been able to do through Coastal Pathfinder is to provide real practical support and assistance to people most at risk to coastal erosion .

“As the project comes to an end in March, I want to stress that we will not be resting on our laurels but will continue to lobby hard for additional funding, recognising the strong case for supporting people living on undefended East Riding coastline that does not meet the Government criteria for sea defences, and highlighting how much can be achieved with relatively small amounts of money.”

A council review of the scheme said residents’ expectations had been raised that assistance would continue to be available – and warned that much of the co-operation from the communities affected may be lost if aid is suddenly withdrawn.

It said: “As a result of communities gaining a better understanding of coastal change issues and management policies, demand for adaptation assistance is growing.

“The delivery of the ERCCP has inevitable led to a considerable increase in expectations for ongoing support amongst coastal residents.

“If funding is not made available on an ongoing basis there will be a loss of momentum and a real risk of communities being unwilling to work with the authorities in the future.”

It also notes that Defra has yet to publish guidance about the future funding of “coastal change adaptation measures”, or set a time scale for the publication of the national coastal change policy.

The ERCCP was not intended as a compensation scheme, but to provide practical support to those most at risk.

The money has been used to help with the cost of property demolitions and site restorations, which was previously born in full by residents.

In addition, financial support has been provided to cover practical relocation costs and for establishing residents in their new homes in safer locations.

People have also received money towards removals and the purchase of essential white goods and furnishings for their new properties.

The support offered to each resident has been based on an assessment of individual circumstances and the criteria set by the council.

There is also a small grants fund to enable individuals, groups and businesses in the East Riding to develop innovative approaches to coastal erosion and coastal flood risk management.

Earlier this week, a new report showed that rates of erosion have more than doubled on some stretches of East Yorkshire’s coast.

The average rate of land loss on the East Coast is 1.5 metres to 2.5 metres a year. But 10 metres was lost south of Withernsea and Hollym, while at Aldbrough, 8.5 metres disappeared, and at Waxholme, north of Withernsea, seven metres were lost to the sea.

Story in the Yorkshire Post

THE PIER extensions may in future be protected by rock armour as part of a new strategy to safeguard the Whitby coast.

Stewart Rowe, Scarborough Borough Council’s principal coastal officer, gave a presentation at a full meeting of Whitby Town Council (6 Dec) about work that is taking place to create a new coastal defence strategy.

In this presentation he suggested that to completely repair all of Whitby’s sea defences, including the harbour, would cost around £80m.

Mr Rowe said: “All the defences around the country were built around the same time by the Victorians in the 1840s.

“They’re therefore coming to the end of their lives, but there’s also potentially around 200 years of steadily increasing sea levels to battle against.

“Because the water’s getting deeper, the waves are getting bigger, which undercuts the promenades and causes more problems.”

The new defence plan will replace the first strategy, produced in 2002, and incorporates five kilometres of coastline between Sandsend and Abbey Cliff, as well as extending into the River Esk estuary up to the New Bridge.

During this presentation, Mr Rowe explained that although a number of options will be researched, rock armour may be installed in the next five to seven years to protect the pier extensions, although he did add: “rock armour would only be accepted if it was below water level”.

Rock armour, described by one councillor as “ugly”, protects the piers by breaking up wave action and reducing erosion.

It would also reduce the volume of waves breaching over the pier extensions, making them safer to pedestrians.

The A174 was highlighted as a major concern by the engineer, especially the area at Raithwaite Gap, and so if that road is to remain open – a much-maligned idea to relocate the road has long been muted – a large amount of erosion protection is required to safeguard the coastline.

Another major issue, thrown into context recently, is the flooding of areas in the centre of Whitby, with many expecting this to take place with increasing frequency as global sea levels rise.

The flooding which took place on 27 November was a freak storm surge caused by a number of different factors, but unless preventative measures are put into place, it is set to become a serious problem for residents of Church Street and New Quay Road.

“My job is to attract central government grants to fix these things,” said Mr Rowe.

“The problem in Whitby is it’s not a vast number of properties that flood.

“Although it’s a tragedy for the individual, we’re in competition with the rest of Yorkshire for funding.”

Whitby Coastal Strategy 2 is being produced by Scarborough Borough Council in collaboration with Whitby Town Council, Whitby Harbour Board, North Yorkshire County Council, the Environment Agency, and Natural England.

Story in the Whitby Gazette

ONE of Yorkshire’s most popular attractions could be at risk from devastating landslips unless action is taken to repair a sea wall, it has been claimed.

The Yorkshire Post reported yesterday that councillors in Scarborough will next week examine plans for a new 1.1 metre (3.6ft) sea wall around a stretch of the resort’s South Bay designed to protect the area from the ravages of the North Sea and the incre,asing risks of climate change.

However, the scheme will also play a key part in stabilising the cliff behind the famous Scarborough Spa complex which attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

Experts say the cliff is already showing evidence of damage owing to landslide movements which could endanger the spa, posing a similar risk to the notorious Holbeck Hall Hotel landslip less than a mile to the south in 1993.

Scarborough Borough Council’s Cabinet will look at six options for the work but are being urged to back a move which would see a new wave wall constructed 1.1m above walkway level, with rock armour in front of the existing sea wall and major slope stabilisation works.

Council officials say the move is the best option on cost and environmental grounds to bolster defences.

The improvements could also open the way to further development of the spa to attract new businesses and attractions.

Councillor Andrew Backhouse, the council’s cabinet portfolio holder for coastal and flood defences, said it was clear coastal defences, including the sea wall dating back to the 1840s, were now approaching the end of their life despite continuing maintenance and repair. They played a key role not only in protecting the seafront but also the stability of the cliff.

“The cliff behind the spa complex is known to be the site of a pre-existing landslide, prone to both frequent shallow small-scale landslides and rare major deep-seated landslides,” he said.

“A major landslide has the potential to endanger the spa complex and associated sea walls, leading to further coastal erosion and landsliding affecting cliff-top properties and adjacent frontages.

“There is already evidence of damage due to landslide movement in the cliffs behind the spa. Landslide risk is linked to the integrity of sea defences and as the condition of the current defences worsens, so the chance of a major landslide event increases.

“The current height of the sea walls is not sufficient to prevent severe wave overtopping, which causes damage to the promenades and adjacent areas and presents a serious risk to public safety.

“The current problems will be compounded further by the effects of climate change. The predicted rise in sea levels and increase in storm conditions means that sea defences will become the subject of much more forceful waves at greater frequency – and the potential for overtopping and breaching will undoubtedly increase.

“Contrary to some reports in the media, we are approaching the point when we can no longer just simply pursue a tactic of make do and mend. The sea defences are inadequate, wave overtopping is well beyond safe levels and will get worse and the effectiveness of these coastal defences continues to deteriorate.”

A business case will be submitted to the Environment Agency once an option has been selected so further cash can be secured for the detailed design, planning applications, further public consultation and delivery of the scheme.

But councillors are warning that under new Government funding arrangements, it remains unclear if the agency will be in a position to fund the cost of the project. If there are no stumbling blocks, work could begin by the summer of 2014. The changes follow the adoption of the Scarborough Coastal Defence Strategy in 2007 which agreed measures to improve protection on the coastline.

Story in the Yorkshire Post

AN academic is hoping to establish that understanding and predicting coastal erosion is as clear as mud.

Hull University Professor Daniel Parsons has been awarded a grant to begin a three-year study of mudlfats in the Dee and Humber estuaries.

Climate change could change the way sediments are moved around by water currents and Prof Parsons will assess how this change could impact on estuaries and coastlines.

He said: “Many people in the UK live within a few miles of estuarine or coastal environments; mud and sand are mainly found here and they are very important for the ecology and economy of the UK. They provide nutrients for many species of birds and fish, but also protect the coastline from the erosive forces of the sea.

“Because of the importance of these muddy and sandy systems, their natural behaviour and, most importantly, their stability is of increasing concern as sea levels rise with climate change.

“We have limited scientific information to help us to predict how these natural mudflats and estuarine environments will respond to the changing forces of the tides, wind and waves.”

The project will look at how cohesive “sticky” muds within sandy sediment influences the erosion, transport and deposit of this mixed sediment in rivers, estuaries and seas.

The study is being funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and is a collaboration between six research institutions including the National Oceanography Centre in Liverpool and the universities of Leeds, Plymouth and St Andrews.

Story in the Yorkshire Post

HUNDREDS of properties in Scarborough’s North Bay could be at risk unless vital work is carried out to bolster the existing sea wall defences, it has been claimed.

A recent inspection revealed the need for “urgent” emergency work to be carried out to stabilise sections of the sea wall to prevent breaches of the defences.

Many large hotels and residential properties would be under threat if the wall failed. Scarborough Council’s Cabinet agreed to accept £87,000 from the Environment Agency for the project and will appoint consultants to investigate to best way to carry out the vital work.

Pauline Elliott, the council’s head of planning and regeneration, said: “The engineers’ report noted a large list of faults.

“About 295 properties have been identified at risk of possible loss behind the defences within the short term and medium term should the defences fail.”

She added: “Over the long term it is anticipated that further significant loss of property would occur.”

Some of the highlighted defects include displaced and fractured blockwork and erosion at the foundations of the defences.

She added: “Consequences of seawall failure for this area would include the loss of tourism, loss of infrastructure and the loss of environment including both historic and natural.”

Consultants are expected to be in place by the beginning of the year, with the report produced by the end of February, and a submission made to the Environment Agency next March – if further funding is secured then the matter will be presented to Cabinet next September.

Mrs Elliott said: “Scarborough North Bay has formed over many years through the cutting back of the high till coastal slopes between the Scalby Ness and Castle headlands.

“As a result of the very square natural shape of the bay it is exposed to an aggressive dominant north easterly wave direction.

“The age of the original hard defence structures, not included in the Castle Headland Coast Protection works in 2002, date to 1890. However, additions and improvements were made to various sections in the 1920s, 1950s and most recently the 1970s.

“Behind the defences are large dormant and locally active coastal slopes consisting of glacial till overlaying sand and mudstone.

“Immediately above the coastal slopes are situated many large historic hotels and residential properties, all potentially at risk should the wall fail.”

The general issues of sea defences and coastal erosion were brought into focus in June 1993 with the collapse of the Holbeck Hall Hotel.

Last year a new landslide caused the complete and permanent closure of a section of Scarborough’s Filey Road.

The landslip was near the Knipe Point residential estate, where three houses were demolished because of another destructive landslide in early-2008.

Two bungalows left teetering dangerously on the cliff edge were demolished later that month, followed by a third bungalow weeks later.

Story in the Scarborough Evening News

AS their sea-view homes creep perilously towards a cliff-edge, residents at a private retirement estate say they have endured a “two-year hell” cloaked by uncertainty.

Now they have a whole new battle on their hands after dismissing land put forward for the relocation of 15 bungalows at Knipe Point near Scarborough as a “glorified council estate”.

In a final draft report which has been exclusively obtained by the Yorkshire Post, five parcels of land have been short-listed as preferred sites for the relocation of the homes which are deemed to be the most at risk.

But despite waiting two years for the sites to be put forward by Scarborough Council after it was awarded £1m under the Government Pathfinder scheme, residents feel they are no nearer to being released from “limbo” after their choice only appeared fourth on the list.

After analysing 48 sites, Scarborough Council has ring-fenced a proposed housing development on Muston Road, in nearby Filey, as the preferred option.

However, residents have set their sights on a holiday village in the Crossgates area of Scarborough, which would see them rehoused in eco-friendly luxury timber lodges.

Malcolm Pirks, chairman of the Knipe Point Residents Association, said: “We have now been waiting for two years with the Pathfinder because there hasn’t been any land that has considered to be suitable. Land seems to be very scarce in this area, especially for the amount we want. We have found a plot that has a very similar environment to what’s here, but there are problems with it as far as the council’s concerned.”

Following a major landslide in early April 2008, two bungalows left precariously balancing on the edge of the cliff were demolished later that month, followed by a third bungalow in May.

A section of Filey Road was closed last year over fears vehicles could plunge down the slope, and a further landslip in December saw more than 20ft of the site slip away due to heavy rain.

Stabilising work was ruled out after Scarborough Council estimated it would cost between £16m and £20m to protect the 56 properties at Knipe Point, which are worth around £5m.

But the residents were thrown a lifeline in 2009 when the authority was awarded £1m from the Pathfinder grant by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to help to relocate affected homeowners, with the rebuild cost coming out of their insurance following the demolition of their houses.

The Muston Road development has planning permission for 300 properties and is close to Filey School. It is owned by Coast and Country Homes and a small parcel of land on the site belongs to Scarborough Council. This has sparked controversy among a number of residents who believe the council wants to use its own land in order to pocket a portion of the grant.

Strenuously denying the claims, Coun Andrew Backhouse, the authority’s portfolio holder for the Environment and Coastal and Flood Defences, said: “The council owns a small piece of land on Muston Road, which is landlocked. We could have promoted council-owned land but the chosen sites are all owned by private developers.”

Residents have also hit out over the development being sited in an area which is prone to flooding. The problem has been highlighted in the report, which has angered residents as water saturating the land around Knipe Point was revealed as a cause behind the slips. “It would be like going out of the frying pan and into the fire,” said 73-year-old Judy Backhouse.

Coun Backhouse said: “Yorkshire Water has recently spent £500,000 updating all the drainage and on top of that the developers have submitted drainage plans for the whole site.”

After years of breathtaking views across the North Sea, the residents of Knipe Point say they are unwilling to move into the middle of “a council estate”, which will have affordable housing attracting young people with children and be unsuitable for residents who are mainly pensioners. There is also near an 850-pupil school.

A holiday village on the outskirts of Scarborough, which appears at the bottom of the list, meets residents’ approval, but there is a problem with squatters.

Coun Backhouse said the Crossgates site was unsuitable as it did not have permission for residential use and was only suitable for holiday lets.

However, he was prepared to put the residents’ case forward to DEFRA at a private meeting on September 7.

Couple looking for a way out

Ron and Judy Backhouse have owned their house on Knipe Point Drive for 19 years and after spending the past three living on the edge, they fear there is still no end in sight.

On New Year’s Day they watched as their 12ft-high garden shed toppled over the edge of the cliff into the woodland below, and the couple’s manicured garden grows smaller by the day.

The pair have spent the past two years anxiously waiting for an alternative site to be announced.

Mrs Backhouse said: “We have been in limbo for two years and we want a way out. It has been two years of hell.

“We have lived here 19 years and we came here to stay but we have accepted if we have to go we have to go.

“But we don’t want to go to the middle of a glorified council estate with 800 kids just across the road and somewhere that has flooded twice in the last few years.

“I would rather look for a place I like and rent.

“It’s a shame we will have to lose a house and rent but that’s our only choice.”

Story in the Yorkshire Post

SURVEYS to pave the way for a major overhaul of Scarborough’s crumbling sea defences, one of the most ambitious schemes of its kind in the country, are taking place this month.

The Geotechnical surveys are being undertaken in Scarborough’s South Bay to provide information for a proposed multi-million pound scheme to improve the sea defences around the town’s historic Spa complex.

The investigation is the latest stage in a three-year study being funded by a grant from the Environment Agency.

If given the final go-ahead, the project would herald the most significant change to the seafront in Scarborough since the massive development during the Victorian era, bringing with it the opportunity to attract a wave of new investment in the resort.

One option could see the protective barriers being built further off the coast, which has the potential to transform the resort’s South Bay.

Senior councillors involved with the project have told the Yorkshire Post the proposals could provoke controversy, but are vital to safeguard the future of Scarborough.

The investigations into the ground conditions will be carried out on the beach in front of the sea wall by the Spa Complex.

The work, which is expected to take around a week, will involve digging holes on the beach to determine the depth to the bedrock underneath the sand and to take samples.

The latest research is part of a coastal defence strategy which was adopted by the council in January 2000 amid growing concerns that existing structures could fail and were in need of major improvements.

The council insists it has learnt lessons from the High Point Rendel scandal between 2002 and 2005, where it illegally consulted the company over a scheme that eventually cost tens of millions of pounds more than the initial estimates on which the contract was awarded.

Story in the Yorkshire Post

Scientists are carrying out the first ever seabed survey of the East Yorkshire coast.

The latest technology is being used to produce an accurate map of the area between Flamborough and Spurn Point.

Coastal engineers will use the data to help them take more cost-effective, preventative action to combat coastal erosion.

According to government figures the Holderness coastline is one of the fastest eroding areas in Europe.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimate that 2m (6ft) of shoreline is lost every year.

The problem is particularly acute in the region as much of the coast is soft clay.

Defra is funding the £400,000 survey, which uses shipboard sonar equipment to map the seabed up to 2kms (1.2 miles) from the land.

‘Complete picture’

The information will be combined with land and air surveys to give a fuller picture of the locations likely to be affected by coastal erosion.

Mike Ball, principal engineer at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said the information will lead to better decision making and more cost-effective sea defences.

“We can see which areas need the defences building, which areas need their defences strengthening in light of the detail of the information we are getting from the survey.

“The information will complete the picture. At the moment we don’t know where the material that is on our beaches goes to exactly.

“It comes offshore and it goes down but we don’t know how that process occurs, how that mechanism happens,” he said.

Story on the BBC News website

Story in the East Riding Mail