Norfolk faces being wiped out
Discussion
Watching the pictures from New Orleans reminded me of the Norfolk floods of 1953.
Not sure what the chances of a repeat of those floods are but I reckon they are quite high.
From my knowledge of being involved in Local Government in Norfolk as a Councillor since 1996 I would say that Norfolk is very unprepared.
Not sure what the chances of a repeat of those floods are but I reckon they are quite high.
From my knowledge of being involved in Local Government in Norfolk as a Councillor since 1996 I would say that Norfolk is very unprepared.
Did you see that news item on Anglia about NOT updating any of the sea defences around Happisbough (sp?) and along that area? They call it conversation I call it saving money. anyhow if the envioroment agency is talking about leaving the sea to reclaim the land then perhaps they should remove the thames barrier? It comes down to who owns what.
Run Nervous, Run
s 
john75 said:
Watching the pictures from New Orleans reminded me of the Norfolk floods of 1953.
Not sure what the chances of a repeat of those floods are but I reckon they are quite high.
From my knowledge of being involved in Local Government in Norfolk as a Councillor since 1996 I would say that Norfolk is very unprepared.
From Friday's Eastern Daly Press:
Funding withdrawn from coastal defences
EDWARD FOSS
02 September 2005 06:45
Xref leader
Millions of pounds of funding have been withdrawn from a key weak spot in Norfolk's coastal defences, leaving vast swathes of the Broads at greater risk of inundation by the sea.
The decision to stop paying for beach recharge on the north east Norfolk coast will leave villages such as Sea Palling, Waxham, Horsey, Somerton and Hickling more vulnerable.
The wider catchment area of the rivers Ant, Thurne and Bure would also be in increased danger.
The recharge scheme was designed to stop the sea breaking through low-lying dunes and into the popular waterways, the home for communities, wildlife and a thriving holiday industry.
Incensed coastal campaigners have said the news is the latest chapter in the Government's continuing withdrawal from spending on coastal defence.
The Government, in the form of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has defended its decision and said: “We can't support every single scheme.”
The recharge project was launched in the mid 1990s as part of a wider scheme which saw nine granite offshore reefs built at Sea Palling and Waxham in order to protect the Broads. The section of coast is widely regarded as the North Sea's “back door” to the Broads.
Ever since, hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of sand have been regularly pumped onto the beach south of the reefs in order to maintain the integrity of the sea wall.
But the latest bid for funding, which saw the Environment Agency ask Defra for £2m for the 2005/06 financial year, has been refused. The bid was designed to allow 150,000 cubic metres of sand to be pumped onto the beach.
There is concern that the decision will undermine the tens of millions of pounds spent on the reefs since the early 1990s.
Malcolm Kerby, co-ordinator of the Happisburgh based Coastal Concern Action Group, said: “People were comfortable with the fact the Environment Agency was protecting the back door, but now they are unable to do so.
“This will be disastrous over a period of time and will hugely compress the timescale of what would have happened otherwise.
“It is difficult to identify what the timescale is now, but the minute you stop doing what you have been doing, then the problems happen very quickly. That has been proved in Happisburgh.”
Mr Kerby said the latest news fitted exactly into what he had been predicting.
“This is part of what I said would always happen. The Government has decided on a policy of removing funding from the coast and is attempting to steamroller it through irrespective of what the people say.
“This may be the key that unlocks the support of the inland communities which felt they were not in danger.”
North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb said: “In 1953 we lost lives when the sea came in, during one of the worst natural disasters this country has seen.
“Do we have to wait for another disaster before we learn the lesson?
“This is enormously significant for the future of Norfolk, it must be tackled head on.”
Mr Lamb said the decision “undermined” the multi-million pounds spent at Sea Palling in the past.
“It is this kind of potential waste of public resources that drives people crazy about Government behaviour.”
Steve Hayman, coastal manager at the Environment Agency, said: “I would not say we have a real problem at this point, but the beach is deteriorating.
“Another year and that deterioration is going to gather pace.
“The priority scoring system is geared to providing the majority of money to where most people are at risk. We do not do well out of this system.
“The lower the beach, the lower the level of protection for people and property behind these defences. The risk will get higher.”
A Defra spokesman said last night: “The system of points has been designed to take into account risk of damage, risks to people and the benefits of the scheme.
“The system was formulated in discussion and co-operation with the operating authorities who are responsible for undertaking the schemes.”
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