COASTS: Happisburgh

Question 1

how have policy decisions lead to conflicts between players?

Answer 1

a

Question 2

who are the perceived winners and losers in Happisburgh?

Answer 2

a

Question 3

costs of erosion

Answer 3

£160,000 could be available to Manor Caravan park to assist in relocating to a new site

Affected residents could get up to £2000 each (a total cost of £40-70,000) in relocation expenses plus the cost to the council of finding plots of land on which to build new houses

Grade 1 listed St Mary’s Church and Grade 2 listed Manor House would be lost

Social costs as the village is slowly degraded, including health effects and loss of jobs

Question 4

benefits of erosion

Answer 4

by 2015, between 20 and 35 houses would be ‘saved’ from erosion, with a combined value of £4-7 million

45 hectares of farmland would be saved, with a value of £945,000

The Manor Caravan Park would be saved, which employs local people

Question 5

cost-benefit analysis

Answer 5

the cost of building coastal defences at Happisburgh is around £6 million, very close to the value of the property that could be saved and much higher than the compensation cost payable to local residents

coastal managers argue that Happisburgh must be seen in the wider context of the whole SMP, further justifying the decision not to defend the village

Question 6

no active intervention, managed realignment

Answer 6

Defending the village would have an impacts on the wider coastal management plan. Happisburgh would end up as a promontory, blocking longshore drift and causing further erosion downdrift.

longer term the plan is managed realignment, although this would still involve property being lost to the sea by erosion