What will happen to businesses hit by coastal erosion?

As it stands, nearly 200,000 homes and businesses in England are at risk of being lost to sea level rise by the 2050s.

East Anglia is set to be one of the hardest hit regions, with almost a third of all at risk properties in Norfolk.

Huge swathes of East Anglia will be under water in 30 years unless drastic action is taken to halt global warming, according to a global flood-risk map built by US-based researchers at Climate Central (Image: Climate Central)

For many living in the worst-hit towns and villages like Hemsby, Happisburgh, and Kessingland, the fear of losing their properties has been compounded by Environment Agency policies which leave large areas unprotected by sea defences, with central government opting instead to “manage the realignment”.

Coastal erosion is a major issue for seaside towns like Hemsby (Image: News Quest)

For many living in the worst-hit towns and villages like Hemsby, Happisburgh, and Kessingland, the fear of losing their properties has been compounded by Environment Agency policies which leave large areas unprotected by sea defences, with central government opting instead to “manage the realignment”.

And following a spring which saw tidal surges close beaches for safety reasons and destroy several more homes in Norfolk, the chorus of those warning of the impact on our local economy has been growing.

READ MORE: Norfolk communities most at risk from coastal erosion

Noel Galer, Great Yarmouth borough councillor for the ward that covers Hemsby, said the whole region would feel it if our seaside towns weren’t protected.

Coastal erosion is a growing problem in villages like Hemsby, Norfolk (Image: News Quest)

He said: “It’s the place where everybody’s children tend to go to get a holiday job when they are 16 in the summer holidays and when they’re at university when they come back.”

 “I feel that about 90pc of Hemsby’s economy is dependent on tourism and if you were to lose the next bit of Hemsby, it’s very difficult to see how that holiday industry is going to continue to operate if you start chiselling little bits away from it.”

'Flexible business hubs'

However, others are taking a more optimistic outlook.

Karen Thomas, from Coastal Partnership East (CPE), the organisation tasked with helping local authorities enact shoreline management plans, said she believes our coastal communities are more resilient than people give them credit for.

Karen Thomas, who works for Coastal Partnership East, said coastal communities need to become more resilient (Image: Submitted)

She said: “There’s already lots of exciting things going on and people being innovative with how they run businesses on the coast.

“A company like Sauna Box, that has a mobile sauna which can be moved back from the shoreline if needs be, is a great example of people setting up in a way that allows them to be flexible if a storm surge hits.”

“Over in Winterton, the popular cliff-top cafe is going to be moving into an airstream trailer to allow it to do the same.

“Clearly businesses that rely on brick-and-mortar buildings near the cliff edge are not in a great position, so it’s going to be crucial that they can adapt to these new conditions as quickly as possible.”

Ms Thomas said over the next 10 years, she predicts at-risk coastal communities will become “hubs for flexible businesses”, with advances in building design helping to usher in a new era of enterprise.

Sauna Box, which operates on Sea Palling beach, has been cited as an example of a flexible business that could withstand coastal erosion (Image: Submitted)

For example, she predicts we will start seeing more modular properties, which can easily be “deconstructed” and moved if necessary.

She added: “These places could become excellent testing grounds for new businesses looking for a short-term arrangement, and don’t want to pay the ridiculous rents charged by a lot of commercial property owners.

“You could get, say, a couple of containers set up in a car park, that could be moved at short notice, and could still benefit from the tourist high season.

“It would help keep these communities vibrant and buzzing as the shoreline changes.”

But not everyone is on board.

'Buffalo dust'

For Malcolm Kerby, chair of erosion-hit Happisburgh's Coastal Concern Action Group, the ideas pitched by organisations like CPE and the environment agency are “nothing but buffalo dust”.

Malcolm Kerby, chair of erosion-hit Happisburgh's Coastal Concern Action Group, said the only solution is government support (Image: News Quest)

He said: “The fact is, most businesses can’t move into a trailer. We’re settled here, and everyone in the country needs to take responsibility for our part in global warming, which is making the situation what it is today.

“If they don’t want the economy to suffer then we need active support, either in the form of sea defences, or in compensation, so people don’t lose their livelihoods.

“That’s crucial, not just for the individuals, but our whole region, which relies so heavily on our seaside economy.”