A MEETING aimed at shedding light on the coastal erosion debate at Hopton has fanned the flames of the controversy and lead to accusations of a whitewash.

Senior officials were at the village hall on Monday to reveal the findings of a controversial report looking at how the outer harbour had affected the rate of beach depletion.

Campaigners – who say the port is fuelling erosion – were told their views were not backed up by a beach monitoring survey, triggering sighs of disbelief among some of those listening.

The beach monitoring study’s conclusions were read out to a hall packed with more than 70 members of the public by Great Yarmouth Borough Council executive director for the economy and environment Peter Hardy, at Hopton’s parish council meeting.

While accepting there had been a dramatic change to Hopton’s beach, Mr Hardy said such changes were down to long term cycles along the coastline.

He added: “There is as yet no significant impact from the construction of the outer harbour. It doesn’t mean there will be no impact- it’s merely to date.”

Those at the meeting heard that at least twice yearly surveys would be carried out until 2017 when, if no sign of a direct impact was detected, they would probably end. However if the outer harbour was found to be accelerating erosion, then Great Yarmouth Port Company would be responsible for making amends.

During a heated public questioning of Mr Hardy and Bernard Harris, coastal manager for the council, a number of concerns were raised questioning the report’s conclusions.

Brian Hardisty, chairman of Hopton Coastal Action Group, questioned the independence of HR Wallingford who carried out the study, but were also involved in the development and planning of the outer harbour.

He said: “This report isn’t independent – HR Wallingford is a company which the international port holders have spent a lot of money with – there’s a conflict of interest here and this report should be thrown out by the borough council.”

As well as denying this, the borough representatives denied that a recent resizing of the outer harbour would have changed the findings of the report, and that an error made in monitoring over beach measurements had impacted on the results.

And while members of the public repeatedly cited their first hand experience of watching the beach shrink in recent years on a day-to-day basis, suggestions that more regular monitoring was needed were refuted.

Also in the spotlight were protection schemes for Hopton in the long term.

Mr Harris said that erosion, rather than flooding, was the main issue in the area, and that a decision regarding funding for a review of current schemes along the coast and a look at solutions would be made in April by the Environment Agency.

He went on to reject the need for immediate work and emphasised that emergency works, which could be implemented in a shorter time frame, might not get such funding.

Mr Harris said: “There’s no guarantee we will be reimbursed for such works on Hopton, which could come in the region of £600,000, and the funding would have to be borne by the local authority – and that means council tax payers.”

Following the report, Mr Hardisty said: “We expected a whitewash and that is what we got. We are not disappointed. We got what we expected. It was never going to be their fault.”

A meeting will be held on Monday in Hopton between a senior minister, Tony Wright MP and representatives from local coastal groups looking at the severe changes to Hopton’s beach and the broader efforts to protect the coastline.

Mr Wright said: “I’m not saying it is the harbour that’s doing it but the change to the beach at Hopton has been profound and if it’s a case it just happens to be a coincidence it’s one hell of a coincidence – quite clearly people will be sceptical about the conclusions of the report.”

Story by John Owens in the Great Yarmouth Mercury

Hopton villagers campaigning to save their homes from the North Sea have formed an action group to battle for money for defences – and plan to “go for the jugular”.

Brian Hardisty, chairman of the new Hopton Coastal Action Group, said the nine-member committee wanted the government to maintain rather than abandon sea defences and had formed arguments to support its position.

He added that clifftop housing worth an estimated £5m plus two holiday villages were at stake, and said he was unconvinced by statistics predicting the rate of erosion which were already well out, concrete defences near Corton having failed within three years and not the predicted 15-20 years.

Mr Hardisty said the committee’s first tasks were to:

Write to Great Yarmouth Borough Council managing director Richard Packham squarely laying the blame for beach depletion with the council and EastPort.

Ask to see a report from EastPort, concerning the impact of the Yarmouth outer harbour works on surrounding areas, that was rejected by the borough council because it was not in the correct format.

Mr Hardisty said the aim was “to go for the jugular” to win the best deal for the village. Forming an action group was especially important now to force people in authority to change their minds about the Shoreline Management Plan, which at present only called for a “hold-the-line” policy on defences in the short term and no active intervention in the medium and long term.

He believes building a rock berm or artificial reef would be cheaper in the long run than buying back properties, adding: “Why can’t they make a positive commitment now which will stabilise house prices?

More about the group from Mr Hardisty on 01502 732868.

Story in the Great Yarmouth Mercury

CAMPAIGNERS are making waves in their battle to protect Hopton’s seaside community from erosion.

Clifftop resident Brian Hardisty says officials have played down the effect of the outer harbour on the shrinking sands and is seeking answers, possibly by making a Freedom of Information request to see “secret” documents.

Mr Hardisty wants to set up an independent coastal erosion group to challenge the Shoreline Management Plan which is being revised this year.

So far enough people have come forward to form a committee, but as word was spreading more village folk were becoming concerned, he said.

On Saturday Great Yarmouth MP Tony Wright visited Hopton beach to see for himself the scale of depletion and also to discuss erosion problems with the clifftop residents.

Mr Wright described as an “eye-opener” his visit to the shingly stretch, adding: “I knew there were some difficulties down there but quite clearly something needs to be done about it. I will be contacting various agencies.

“They claim it’s happened since the harbour has been built and if that is the case we need to find a solution and get the beach back again.

“The most important thing is to accept that there is a problem and that something needs to be done about it.”

Mr Wright added that he hoped the government-funded Pathfinder Project – looking for a plan B for coastal erosion – would have something useful to say.

Former power station manager Mr Hardisty, said: “People are now starting to come along to parish council meetings worried about coastal erosion. It will take a while – people who live further back think it is not going to bother them but some are starting to worry.”

He said he aimed to leaflet all 80 clifftop home-owners in due course. The fledgling Hopton group has also won the support of veteran coastal campaigner Malcolm Kerby, who has taken local erosion issues to the heart of Westminster.

Story in the Great Yarmouth Mercury

GREAT Yarmouth’s new outer harbour could be having an erosive effect on the coastline at Hopton, it is feared.

The beach there has taken a battering from the sea in the past six months, with up to three feet of sand being washed away in some sections.

This has led some villagers to fear that Hopton could soon fall victim to rapid cliff erosion.

Stephen Ford, of Potters Drive, is among those alarmed by the rate of erosion, and he suspects it could be a result of the outer harbour affecting tidal streams.

Mr Ford, who has walked the local coastline for more than 20 years, said he had never seen erosion on this scale before.

“This is not the norm. Hopton shoreline is becoming an ecological and environmental disaster. It is also going to affect the holiday industry because there will be no beach left for visitors,” said Mr Ford, who wants the sand to be replenished.

Erosion at nearby Corton beach has forced councillors in Waveney to rethink its classification as a nudist beach. Because so much of it has been lost to the sea, there have been calls for it to be made available to the wider public.

Hopton beach is a popular attraction for visitors to Potters Leisure Resort, which owns part of the beach. Resort owner Brian Potter said he had noticed significant erosion in the past six weeks, with up to three feet of sand being washed away.

“It’s now impossible for our guests to get on to the beach unless they are agile,” he said.

Access was only now possible via a wooden ramp that was not always easy to tackle, said Mr Potter.

He added: “I have seen that amount of sand loss in the past with storms, etcetera. But it has always built up again.

“The big question is whether because of the outer harbour, the tide is cutting into the coastline close to Gorleston golf course; Hopton along to Corton.

“If it is the case, that the storms are causing the erosion, I’m not too concerned, but if it is connected with the outer harbour we have a serious problem.”

In terms of sea defences, the section of coast is subject to a “hold-the-line” approach by the Environment Agency under the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), and Mr Potter said he would be sad to see the beach disappear totally.

The issue was raised at Hopton Parish Council’s meeting on Monday, and chairman Mike Butcher said the beach had come and gone for years.

He told the Mercury: “I have visited the beach and, yes, the sand has been significantly reduced, but when we have prevailing easterly winds it naturally erodes the sand.”

Mr Butcher said that in the past few months the area had suffered from stronger easterly winds than in past years and the beach had not yet had chance to recover.

“What we need is some strong westerly winds to bring the sand back. It is a concern, and I don’t claim to be an expert, but it’s something which has happened over time,” he added.

Story by Laura Bagshaw in the Great Yarmouth Mercury