The Government’s new generation of Shoreline Management Plans are the pathfinder plans for the coastal defence for all England’s coastline. Their policy of “Managed Retreat” is systematically destroying the golden sand beaches of most of England’s coast, so they will not be available to be enjoyed by future generations.

David Keller of BBC Norfolk tells of the coming catastrophe for Norfolk should no effective action be taken to prevent erosion and its causes.

Increasing erosion and the failure to protect our coastline threatens a new hazard in the form of potential hazardous waste from former industrial and domestic landfill sites situated along the UK coastline.

Dr. Harry Buckland of Grimsby, one of our most active Coastal Group members gives his thoughts on the latest modifications to the Shoreline Management Plan, which notes some interesting comparators.

The Dutch have long shown Britain how to defend their land from the sea and are now coming up with further innovative methods from which the UK could learn if only the will and sanity were there.

The following evidence confirms that it is the in-fill of the offshore dredged pits from the surrounding seabed which causes beach draw-down.

Yet a further paper has come to light on coastal erosion brought about by Offshore Aggregate Dredging in a paper entitled: EFFECTS OF MARINE SAND EXPLOITATION ON COASTAL EROSION AND DEVELOPMENT OF RATIONAL SAND PRODUCTION CRITERIA written by Emre N. Otay, Paul A. Work and Osman S. Börekçi It tells how such mining yields an inexpensive […]

MARINET has submitted evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group Coastal and Marine Inquiry into deprivation and disadvantage in coastal rural areas.

For years public meetings discussing the issues of coastal erosion, saline flooding and offshore aggregate dredging have attracted regular comments along the lines of “the Dutch would never do it like this”. But until this week few people have taken the time and effort to visit Holland, speak to the relevant experts and assess the realities.

Mike King who lives in Scratby, Great Yarmouth, has asked Phil Woolas MP who is Minister for the Environment to explain the proposal in Natural England’s recent report to allow a vast area of Norfolk (6,500 hectares) from Eccles-on-sea to Winterton-on-sea, and as far inland as Stalham, to be flooded by the sea. His letter to the Minister asks how Natural England, an organisation that is supposed to care for our environment and the unique wildlife in the Norfolk area, can propose such destruction, and whether Natural England are they acting on their own initiative or are following Government guide lines?

Jerry Berne of Sustainable Shorelines Inc. sends us this item from the Times Environment News of 3rd May ’08. His response follows on.

That was the title for the Tyndall Centre Forum held at the University of East Anglia on 10th September ’08. It was attended by 63 invited guests including MARINET and members of our Coastal Group.

In addition to the Environment Agencies countenanced loss of the Cley Marshes, by failure to maintain the 500 year old shingle sea defence bank, we now have the abandonment of two more internationally acclaimed wildlife site, the RSPB’s Titchwell, probably England’s finest bird reserve, and the National Trust Blakeney Point, acclaimed as one of the ten of the UK’s finest coastal beauty spots.

Distinct from the 29th October 2005 EUROSION Report which the powers that be attempted to delete that content showing the North Norfolk Coast erosion being due to Offshore Aggregate Dredging, another EUROSION report has recently been unearthed by Maike of Coastal Essex FoE email hidden; JavaScript is required This relates to the serious ongoing estuarial […]

A Treatise on Sea Defences

The BBC website has a short film available showing the implications of the threat by the government to cease to maintain the coastal defences that protect the Norfolk Broads and its villages. To see go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7371468.stm

Rising seas are changing Britain’s coast dramatically. Norfolk is the first low-lying area to face a stark and cruel new choice — plough millions into doomed defences, or abandon whole villages to the invading waters.

Information on the legal protection of RAMSAR sites if government abandons Norfolk Broads to marine inundation.

All along the East Anglian coastline and well-inland the Shoreline (mis)Management Plan (SMP) threatens the loss of the beaches, dunes, sand cliffs, the essential tourist trade infrastructure, wildlife and amenity sites, the Broads, whole villages and other vital resources. Compensation or reimbursement for such enormous loss has been consistently refused by our ‘listening’ government. The […]

Normally one does not expect North Sea Surges to appear before the end of February. But already we have already experienced one at the end of September and another now a far worse one on 9th November 2007.