Floods Minister Rebecca Pow and MP for North Norfolk, Duncan Baker, during a visit to Happisburgh, North Norfolk to announce the £36 million Coastal Transition Accelerator Project
There has been coverage over the weekend in The Independent, The Times, ITV Anglia, Eastern Daily Press and BBC Radio Norfolk on our Coastal Transition Accelerator Project as £36 million is set to be invested to explore innovative approaches of adapting to the effects of coastal erosion.
It followed a visit by Floods Minister Rebecca Pow to Happisburgh in North Norfolk where she met with representatives from North Norfolk District Council, one of two local authorities receiving this funding to help communities on areas of the coast that cannot sustainably be defended from coastal erosion.
North Norfolk District Council and East Riding of Yorkshire will support residents to prepare and plan for the long term, while also trialling some immediate actions that support the long-term resilience of communities near the coast.
Floods Minister Rebecca Pow said:
As climate change brings more extreme weather, we must redouble our efforts to build a more resilient nation. We have ramped up flood and coastal erosion policies, and we will always defend our coastline where it is sustainable and sensible to do so. Where it isn't we will support communities to adapt.
What we are announcing today will support innovative solutions to help those areas most vulnerable to coastal erosion to prepare and adapt.
Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:
England's coastline has never been static. Today, 9,000 kilometres of open English coast is at risk from sea flooding, erosion and landslips, and by 2100 once-a-century sea level events are set to become annual events.
As a minimum, we need to plan for at least a metre rise of sea level rise by the end of the century. In some places the pace and scale of change may be so significant that, over a period of time, coastal authorities will need to help local communities transition away from the current shoreline over time.
This programme is about providing that local support while increasing the whole country's expertise and resilience in the face of climate and coastal change.
The Environment Agency will manage the programme, supporting both areas as they develop and deliver their local projects. It will also ensure that ongoing learning is shared with other areas facing similar challenges.
These two locations were chosen because they are already living with the challenges of coastal erosion and between them include 84% of the properties at risk of coastal erosion in England over the next 20 years.