Coastal erosion+management case study: Happisburgh

Question 1

Where is Happisburgh located?

Answer 1

Coastal village located on the Norfolk coast, Eastern England

Question 2

What is the population of Happisburgh and how many houses are there?

Answer 2

• around 1400 people
• 600 houses

Question 3

What is Happisburgh a provider of?

Answer 3

Sediment for beaches along the east Norfolk coast

Question 4

What is the coastal part of the village subject to?

Answer 4

Frequent coastal erosion

Question 5

What is the Geology of the cliffs at Happisburgh?

Answer 5

• 6-10m tall
• ‘layer-cake sequence’ of glacial tills, clay, sand
• soft material erodes rapidly

Question 6

What government policy was stated at Happisburgh?

Answer 6

coastal protection of Happisburgh is no longer fundable from central government

Question 7

What sea defences do Happisburgh have?

Answer 7

• sea defences built in 1959 to slow erosion
• Groynes constructed along shore (to stop erosion)
• Wooden revetments

Question 8

What happened to these sea defences?

Answer 8

1990, Storm destroyed about 300m of the wooden revetments to the east of Happisburgh
- rate of erosion increased rapidly after that

1996, remaining revetment was further damaged by storms, 6 cliff-top properties lost

Question 9

What happened in Happisburgh in 2002?

Answer 9

4,000 tonnes rock armour put at foot of cliff (short-term response)

Question 10

What happened in Happisburgh in 2015?

Answer 10

9,000 tonnes rock armour paid for by local council and donations

Question 11

What did the rock armour do?

Answer 11

Absorb wave energy

Question 12

Future of Happisburgh?

Answer 12

• Sea defences in N+S would take £15mil to close the gap in sea defences
• unlikely that long term hard engineering defences will be installed
• Currently, stretch of coast is being allowed to erode under government policy ‘managed realignment’
• Communities are being given time to move
• Sea defences no longer funded by central government