Council paying £300k for more sea defences

6 hours ago

Alice CunninghamSuffolk

More rock bags will be used to try to bolster defences at Thorpeness

Jamie Niblock/BBC A close-up view of a rock bag being hoisted into the air and put on to a coastline. A tree can be seen in the distance. A worker in an orange hi-vis and hard hat has his back to the camera. — More rock bags will be used to try to bolster defences at Thorpeness

A council has agreed to pay £300,000 for more sea defences at a village being hit hard by erosion.

East Suffolk Council's cabinet met on Tuesday to discuss options for Thorpeness, where 11 homes have been torn down as cliffs have collapsed.

It comes after several residents paid for new rock bags themselves, which is expected to cost them about £270,000.

The extra council-funded bags would, according to Mark Packard, cabinet member for planning and coastal management, offer "some temporary respite" and give the authority time to consider what else could be done.

East Suffolk Council says it will monitor how effective the rock bag defences are

Jamie Niblock/BBC A drone image of the Thorpeness coastline. A large piece of machinery delivering rock bags can be seen on the beach. — East Suffolk Council says it will monitor how effective the rock bag defences are

"We have seen devastating erosion at Thorpeness over the past few months, resulting in the tragic loss of several homes," said Packard, a Liberal Democrat councillor.

The council was, he said, continuing to "do all we can to protect the community", although he added there were "no permanent solutions which will stop the erosion completely".

Approximately 27m (88.5ft) of the cliff at the northern end of the village was lost to erosion in the past year.

Urgency

The council's bags will extend 50-70m (160-230ft) northward from where the privately funded bags have been placed in front of properties in the Old Homes Road area.

Both schemes will be delivered by a single contractor to save time and money.

The council said it would ensure ongoing maintenance of the bags, as well as monitor the effect of the scheme.

The council added that planning permission for the rock bags would be sought retrospectively because of the urgency of the work.

The full scheme is expected to be completed by Easter.

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