Homes demolished on Norfolk cliff edge over fears they could fall into sea

Resident says demolition is ‘soul destroying’ as councillor warns of ‘dramatic’ risk to local economy

Multiple homes on an eroded cliff edge in Norfolk have been demolished after several nearby outbuildings were reportedly lost to the sea during high tide.

One of the residents described their home being torn down as “soul-destroying”, as she and her neighbours were forced to leave their chalets in The Marrams in Hemsby on Friday after the cliffs underneath perilously gave way.

Continued erosion of the Norfolk coastline could cause a “dramatic” decline in the local economy, Great Yarmouth Borough councillor Noel Galer warned.

It is not the first time that homes in Hemsby – a town of around 3,000 residents – have been lost, with seven bungalows at The Marrams demolished in 2018 and seven homes destroyed five years earlier during a huge storm surge.

Warning that the tourist hotspot has “precious little other employment opportunities” and is of “tremendous value” to the region, Mr Galer said: “It’s difficult to stress how it would be if Hemsby lost 50 metres in a huge storm or a succession of storms over a week or so. It would be horrendous.”

The house of local resident being demolished as it is close to the cliff edge at Hemsby (PA)

Some of the properties were within just one metre of the cliff edge, according to the BBC, which spoke to residents there including Mary Withey, who said on Saturday that she and her partner had “had got what we can” before the demolition teams arrived.

“I’m not okay with it, it’s been my home, I don’t want to move ... it’s very sad,” said Ms Withey, having lived at her home for four years.

Jane Beck, head of property and asset management at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, told the broadcaster that it was “extremely sad” for those involved, adding: “We’re trying to do everything we possibly can to help them through that process.”

A number of residents have left their homes which are at risk of collapse (PA)

Warning on Friday that the situation was “looking pretty grim”, Keith Kyriacou, chair of Hemsby Parish Council, said: “We just want some help from the government. We’re in dire straits in Hemsby.”

Mr Kyriacou said that planning permission had been obtained for rock berm sea defences “but we can’t get the funding”, adding: “The lifeboat crew down there are doing a fantastic job helping people.”

Some 1,900 tonnes of granite were reportedly set to arrive on Wednesday as authorities seek to temporarily shore up road access to a number of other properties.

Houses close to the cliff edge at Hemsby in Norfolk pictured on Saturday (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

Hemsby Lifeboat coxswain Daniel Hurd criticised the situation as “absolutely ridiculous”, telling the BBC: “This has been an emergency for years and it’s taken this weekend for them to see it’s an emergency to then get a rock berm put on the beach.”

But the council told the broadcaster it was a “real minefield of making sure that what local government and the authorities do is the correct line of procedure”.

Pointing to the large amount of land lost to the sea over the past 50 years, Mr Galer added: “Unless we have some kind of sea defence protection that presumably will continue, especially with the increased energy and the climate weather system that’s hitting our shores.”

Additional reporting by PA