» Coastal Defences



The survival of the Wadden Sea, Netherlands, is in question

The Guardian reports, 16th June 2017: The world’s largest unbroken intertidal system of sand and mud flats could sink beneath the waves by the end of the century due to sea level rise and subsidence caused by gas drills. The Unesco world heritage site at the Wadden Sea on the Dutch coast stretches over 10,000 […]

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Marinet develops a community-based coastal sea defence campaign for Norfolk and Suffolk

We provide here a Campaign Statement for lobbying to be conducted by local coastal communities and residents in the areas of Norfolk and Suffolk where sea defences are provided by sand dunes. These sand dunes are being seriously eroded, and this erosion is threatening coastal communities with loss of their homes and widespread flooding. The […]

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E. Dorset FOE argues for tranquillity and ecosystem emphasis in MMO’s S. Marine Plan

East Dorset Friends of the Earth, a Marinet Member, has responded to the Marine Management Organisation’s request for comment on the central themes of its draft South Marine Plan, February 2017: The Plan covers the coast from Dartmouth to Folkestone, 221 miles (356 Km), with over 3000 miles of tidal coastline, about 20,000 square Km […]

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Hemsby, Norfolk, near to invasion by the sea

Pat Gowen, Marinet Member, reports 24th January 2017: “Hemsby, Norfolk, and all the properties from Newport to Winterton-on-Sea, are now close to invasion by the sea due to coastal erosion. Below you can watch James Taylor’s excellent aerial film of the devastated last fronting dune and the threatened properties. This film has been made following […]

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The Demise of Fairbourne

The five hundred residents of Fairbourne, a picturesque village in Cardigan Bay, West Wales, have formed yet another coastal community reacting against the dictates of the Shoreline (mis) Management Plan (SMP) which calls for that the entire Welsh village be ‘decommissioned’ and its population forced to move because it’s sea defences have been abandoned. They […]

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The Humanitarian side of the Shoreline Management Plan

The Guardian published a remarkable Heart-warming and emotive story written by Patrick Backham that shows the impact of the Shoreline Management Plan upon just two of those victims who have put up a valiant fight to to try to save their homes from the sea, and the amazing level of ruthless authoritarian bureaucracy employed by […]

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Eco-based engineering could protect coastal cities from rising sea levels

The Guardian reports, 6th August 2015: ‘Eco-based’ engineering systems to put sediment-laden water back on to the delta plains could prevent the loss of 500,000 hectares of wetlands in Mississippi and greatly reduce annual flood damage costs to New Orleans and the Louisiana coast. Rich nations spend huge sums to keep the seas at bay […]

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SCAR AGM

The Annual General Meeting of SCAR, ‘Suffolk Coast Against Retreat’, will take place at the Riverside Centre, Stratford St Andrew on 7th March 2015 at 10.30-12.45, coffee from 10.00 am. Patron Lord Deben, nee John Gummer MP previous Minister for the Environment, will open the meeting which includes a presentation by Sir Philip Dilley, Chairman […]

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The price of holding back the sea

David Shukman created a most interesting report entitled ‘Holding Back The Sea’ that was broadcast at 21:00 GMT on Wednesday 19th November. It asked the big question as to how can vulnerable coastal communities be protected from flooding now that many areas are no longer funded by the government as was once the case. David […]

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National Audit Office report on Flood Defences

On 5th November (note the anniversary of the date when one Guido Fawkes attempted to blow up Parliament) The National Audit Office, who keep a close eye on value from government expenditure did their bit by expressing their concern on the cost and effectiveness of our flood defences by addressing the highly topical concern of […]

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Changes to Shoreline Plan?

Brandon Lewis, MP for Great Yarmouth, who was appointed Minister of State for Housing and Planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government on 15th July 2014, has just written the following in his 7th November 2014 Newsletter. Shoreline Management Plan ‘Can Be Amended’ The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, […]

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Innovative Wave Study on Rock Sea Defences

Whilst it has been apparent for a long time that some forms of and fashions of rock bunds seem more effective than others in contesting erosion, it has yet to be fully understood why this should be so, or exactly how different rock platforms dissipate the power of waves, and to what degree. A team […]

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A further £7 million for protecting Hopton

Hopton, a favourite seaside resort and home of Bourne Leisure’s Hopton Holiday Village, between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, has already cost £3 million last Winter on emergency work to shore up the crumbling cliffs with 20,000 tonnes of earth and 12,000 tonnes of rock. The 50 year old wooden groynes had been allowed to decay […]

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Hemsby coastal campaigners turned down by Coastal Communities Fund

Coastal campaigners have been dealt a blow in their mission to protect Hemsby’s fragile beach, properties and businesses from erosion after their bid for £2.3m of funding was turned down. Members of Save Hemsby Coastline submitted an application to the Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) for the seven-figure sum that would have allowed them to build […]

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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 […]

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Designated Wildlife Sites damage

The Wildlife Trusts provides the Natural England (NE) report on the surge and flood impacts bringing about overtopping and undermining of numerous designated sites over 2013/2014 at www.wildlifetrusts.org/coastalflooding  Here is an excerpt: The coastal flooding of December, 2013 and early January, 2014 has affected at least 48 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIsSSSI Site of […]

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Government lethargy in protecting the sea off Cromer

The plan to create 127 Marine Conservation Zones around the UK was launched four years ago, yet the green light has not yet been given to designate a single zone in either Norfolk or Suffolk, although it is claimed that the Cromer shoalshoal A sandbank or sandbar that makes the water shallow chalk beds are […]

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Do it yourself dune defences

Recognising that Hemsby is far from alone in losing their dune protection, here’s some information that may assist others similarly threatened by the loss of both their defences and government reluctance help maintain or to provide for them. There’s an excellent treatise on the role of marram dune to be seen at http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/heritagemanagement/erosion/appendix_1.2.shtml and there’s […]

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Hemsby group dig for defences and funding to protect the coast

Undefeated by the government SMP declining to provide vital defences, the people of Hemsby and colleagues are doing all they can from their own resources to keep the sea from taking more homes. Over the May Bank Holiday period the Save our Hemsby Coastline group (SHC) and Green Party members, armed with shovels and collection […]

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Scratby residents face £526,000 bill for sea defences

With the failure of the government to provide sea defences, the people of Scratby, like adjoining Hemsby and many other coastal communities, will need to dip deep into their pockets to help pay for sea defences if they wish to protect their village from inundation. With fully effective concrete sea walls averaging £6,000 per metre, […]

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