Hopton is aiming to swing a breaker’s ball through a coastal defence plan which suggests no defence.

Leaflets will be dropping on to more than 1,000 doormats urging villagers to take a stand against the Government’s Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) at a public meeting at Potters Leisure Resort on Thursday.

Its suggestion to abandon a huge stretch of the coast to the sea has caused a storm of protest. But Brian Hardisty, chairman of Hopton Coastal Action Group, says not enough people have woken up to the implications of the plan on house prices and the damage it could do to the tourist industry. (more…)

It is an aerial picture that evokes the full force of the North Sea – its waves breaking against a vulnerable cliff-face.

And it is one that makes it all too clear why residents in Corton, to the south, and Hopton, to the north of this stretch of coastline between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, are increasingly anxious about the future.

Their concerns were voiced to the minister for marine and natural environment Huw Irranca-Davies when he visited the area on Monday and saw the depleted beach at Hopton and crumbling sea defences at the northern end of Corton. (more…)

COASTAL erosion campaigners were left with mixed feelings following the visit of a high-powered government official to hear their concerns and ideas.

Minister for marine and natural environment Huw Irranca-Davies MP dropped in at various sites along the Norfolk coast to find out more about plans to defend the shoreline from an encroaching sea.

One of the areas visited was Hopton, to which he had been specifically invited by Tony Wright MP. (more…)

Suffolk and Essex Shoreline Management Plan released for consultation, Environment Minister Huw Irranca-Davies vists Hopton

Watch the video on BBC Look East

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)