October 29th 2023.
The last house standing along this stretch of Norfolk coastline has finally been demolished. Residents of the coastal village of Hemsby, Norfolk had to evacuate their homes in March due to the risk of erosion and high tides. Patio slabs from their gardens were seen slipping into the sea as they were helped out of their homes by the Coastguard.
Since the start of October, it has been reported that at least 1.8 metres of the Hemsby dune has been lost to the sea, and it is feared that the storms over winter will cause further erosion. Five homes have since been demolished, and one resident even moved his home across the road in a desperate attempt to save it from the sea.
The last house standing, pictured days before its demolition began, is now almost completely gone. A cliff fall earlier this week left the home dangerously close to the edge, forcing its demolition this weekend. Two weeks ago the house lost its garden shed during high tides.
Great Yarmouth borough council had offered all the appropriate support to the property owner in relation to potential demolition, and a demolition team was sent on Saturday morning. Daniel Hurd, coxswain of Hemsby’s independent lifeboat, said he had spoken to the homeowner who was ‘heartbroken’ at losing her home.
Aerial pictures taken in 1993, 2015, and March 11 2023 have shown the cliff erosion at the south end of Hemsby beach. Villagers were told that the village did not qualify for ‘sufficient government funding’ for a sea defence scheme to go ahead, with the cost of the project rising from £15 million to £20 million due to inflation.
A statement by the Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth, Sir Brandon Lewis, along with local authorities, warned that Hemsby faced the ‘inevitable situation of losing more properties’, including a private access road leading down to the beach. It is a sad reminder of the consequences of erosion and the devastating effect it can have on people’s lives.
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