People who faced losing their homes through the effects of climate change should be compensated, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said yesterday.

He met a handful of people at Happisburgh whose homes have been blighted by sea erosion, then addressed hundreds more at Hickling about the idea to surrender 25 square miles of the broads area to the sea.

Mr Clegg hit out at Natural England, which wrote the report suggesting at least six villages could be sacrificed to the sea as continuing to defend them was too difficult and costly. He said it was an insensitive, cavalier approach to the issue. (more…)

CAMPAIGNERS hope to raise awareness of their opposition to plans to allow parts of north Norfolk to be flooded by holding a walk in a nature reserve that is likely to be lost.

The organisation Norfolk Netwalking is calling for residents and business owners to turn out in force for the trek through Hickling Nature Reserve on Tuesday.

The aim is to bring attention to government body Natural England’s so-called “Option 4” which would allow a 25 square miles of the Broads and six villages to be surrendered to the sea over the next 50 years, including the reserve.

Eric Lindo, chairman of Hickling Parish Council, who will be involved with the walk, said: “It will enable people to get a better idea of what what stands to be lost to the nation.” (more…)

“We want these wetlands to be protected and managed for as long as possible”, says Brendan Joyce, director of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust

Hickling Broad is the largest of the Norfolk Broads and is at threat from sea-level rise. Patrick Barkham’s statement that “local environmental groups such as the Norfolk Wildlife Trust have spoken hopefully of valuable new salt water habitats if this part of the Broads is submerged” does not represent our view (Waves of destruction, April 17). We own and manage Hickling Broad and are deeply concerned about its future.

Read the full article on the Guardian comment is free website

Villagers vented their fury at the government during a packed public meeting held last night in one of the parish churches directly threatened by a proposal to abandon six Broads villages to the North Sea.

Around 400 people packed into St Mary’s Church in Hickling to decide how to react to possible plans revealed in the EDP at the end of last month which could see hundreds of homes, thousands of acres of farmland and some of the county’s top wildlife sites surrendered to the sea.

Read the full story by Ed Foss on the EDP Website