Demolition of houses marks new beginning for Beach Road, Happisburgh

North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) will begin demolition of nine houses at Beach Road, Happisburgh, after Easter, thereby completing the long and sensitive process of helping owners of properties under threat from coastal erosion to move on with their lives before their homes are lost to the sea.

Of the twelve homes identified as being under threat, nine were purchased by NNDC during 2011, under the Coastal Pathfinder scheme, with the intention of demolition so that they could be replaced on sites beyond the erosion area and so that a landscaped ‘buffer’ could be created on the cliff top. In addition to the houses, the Council is also arranging for the redundant RNLI and Coastguard buildings to be demolished. The three homes that remain in private ownership at the coastal end of Beach Road will not be affected by the demolition process.

Since the final property purchase in November 2011 environmental and asbestos surveys have been completed on all the properties, utilities have been disconnected and the relevant permissions for demolition have been obtained.

Contractors E.E. Green and Son Ltd were selected through a rigorous tender process, and the demolition of the properties is expected to take approximately twelve weeks. During demolition the area around the properties will be securely fenced off and the demolition process itself will be carefully managed. There will be traffic moving to and from the site during working hours and the drivers will be briefed to drive carefully in the village.

Following the demolition, the site where the houses stood, along with the old car park and adjacent land, will be landscaped, becoming a space open to the general public. Boundary features will be created to identify the open land and areas will be sown with an appropriate wildflower mix. On the opposite side of the road from the houses a new car park has been created and a new toilet block installed. Both the car park and the toilets, which will be managed by Happisburgh Parish Council, can be ‘rolled back’ in due course as the cliff-line continues to erode in years ahead. NNDC has also cut a new pedestrian ramp into the nearby cliff, providing direct access to the beautiful embayed beach for residents and visitors making use of the new car park.

This is the last of the Pathfinder projects affecting this part of the village and when it has been completed the remaining residents of Beach Road will be left undisturbed. NNDC will be revisiting the beach in the future to remove further debris as it appears and to re-cut the beach access ramp as it, too, erodes with the cliff.

NNDC Cabinet Member, Coastal, Angie Fitch-Tillett, said, “A key part of the Pathfinder in Happisburgh is that it was developed and implemented with the local community; this is reflected in its legacy. With the Parish Council taking on the management of the new facilities, the new Happisburgh Heritage Group leading on the new village trail, the improved beach, the new ramp and now finally the demolitions and landscaping of the cliff top area, it is the start of a new era for Happisburgh.”
ENDS