Hemsby climate refugee court case has been adjourned

Former Hemsby resident Kevin Jordan was due to appear at the High Court today and Wednesday in a lawsuit against the government for failing to protect him from climate change.

The hearing has been adjourned until July 23 and 24 after a barrister for Mr Jordan's case was injured over the weekend.

The collapse of the Marrams Road led to the demolition of five more homes in the area in December. (Image: Denise Bradley) Mr Jordan, who now lives in Martham, said: "I was all hyped up, bags packed and ready to make my way to London.

"It's been pretty stressful coming up to this case and getting everything in order. It would have been nice to get everything over and done with.

"But we will fight another day."

Kevin Jordan overlooking Hemsby Beach. (Image: Submitted) The lawsuit comes after Mr Jordon lost his home - a Hemsby Marrams chalet called 'Ebb Tide' - in December. His home, which Mr Jordan paid £85,000 for in 2009, was one of five demolished by Great Yarmouth Borough Council contractors after erosion left them on the verge of falling into the sea.

Mr Jordan, a former marine engineer, now lives in council housing in Martham. He has described himself as a 'climate refugee'. Mr Jordan launched the legal challenge with Doug Paulley, a disability rights activist from Yorkshire who says Britain's hotter summers have worsened his health conditions and put him in distress.

Hemsby coastline has seen drastic changes over the past thirty years. Pictured: Hemsby Gap in 2003 and in 2023. (Image: Mike Page) Their case is being backed by Friends of the Earth.

Friends of the Earth campaigner Alison Dilworth said: "We’re looking forward to challenging the government’s inadequate climate change adaptation plan in the High Court next month.

"We are enormously proud to be working alongside Doug Paulley and Kevin Jordan - who tragically lost his Hemsby home to coastal erosion last year.

"We urgently need a new action plan to protect people, their homes and communities from the increasing impact of storms, floods and heatwaves."

The demolition of Kevin Jordan's Marrams home in December. (Image: Daniel Hickey) WHAT IS HIS CASE?

Mr Jordan and Mr Paulley are requesting a judicial review of the government’s National Adaptation Programme (NAP). This is the plan which sets out measures to protect people from the impact of climate change such as extreme heat, flooding and coastal erosion.

The pair argue that the current NAP breaches the Climate Change Act 2008 as it fails to set out lawful ‘adaptation objectives’, and fails to consider and publish an assessment of the risks to the delivery of the measures.

Their case also asks the court to rule that the deficiencies in the national plan breach their human rights by failing to protect their lives, homes and property from foreseeable impacts of the climate crisis.

Mr Jordan hopes that if he wins the case, the government will have to pay compensation to those who have lost their homes to the sea and will be forced to change the criteria for funding coastal defences.

The Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs is contesting all the claims.