SMP Economic Impact
The Save Hemsby Coastline group are thinking of making the National Audit Office aware of the economic wastage being created by the very unfair and unrealistic dictates of the Shoreline Management plan, especially now that they have recently changed the goalposts so that the value of that protected now has to be eight times the cost of providing the adequate sea defences so vitally needed.
Surely any ratio above 1 to 1 shows an overall economic advantage both locally and nationally to the treasury?
Even so, playing to the Environment Agency’s dubious rules, it must be that the value of Hemsby, and most other seaside resorts, once the housing, habitat, habitation, rateable, amenity, land loss and business values are added and taken into account that it would far exceed eight times the £2.1 million required for long term adequate protection.
Beach Recharge
MARINET had a good dialogue with the Audit Office some years back when dealing with the cost to the Environment Agency in having offshore derived sand back placed onto depleted beaches, this sand loss due to offshore sand dredging in the first place. Of course, it was swept back to the depleted sea bed in storms, and the process had to be repeated every two years. A situation like having the burglar sell you back to goods he stole from you then to steal them again …. and again !
Such beach recharge has an analogy not unlike that of the monkey who ate his own tail in the hope of getting enough protein to grow a longer tale, or the tailor who cut a yard off the top of his cloth and stitched it to the bottom so to make it longer. But at least the beach level was kept restored. Sea Palling is one of many such examples.
The NAO website is at www.nao.org.uk
