Background
Happisburgh's timber revetments were constructed in 1959 as part of a series of protection measures put in place following the 1953 East Coast floods.
They started failing in the 1980's, and by 1989 North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) identified the need for a major investment in new defences. Local government is responsible for repairs and upkeep of sea defences, but any capital scheme such as the renewal of existing defences, or creation of new ones, require the acceptance, approval and funding of central government (DEFRA).
Various schemes were proposed throughout the 90's, but for a variety of reasons each failed to reach fruition. The most recent was withdrawn in December 2002: despite 325 letters of support for the scheme, there were two objections, and it was not possible to progress the scheme until these objections were resolved. During the delay in processing the application, properties were lost affecting the financial justification whilst the physical proportions of the cliffs changed too, invalidating the technical aspects of the scheme.
New criteria has since been introduced by DEFRA, with the intention of 'prioritising limited resources for flood and coastal defences'; any scheme for Happisburgh currently falls well short of the minimum number of points required even to allow submission of a scheme for consideration.
The Happisburgh cliffs are eroding at a rate of approximately twelve metres a year. Since 1990 over 25 properties have been lost to the sea - owners received no compensation. No-one can predict what the future holds, but with your support we will be making efforts to protect this coastline.