The British villages at risk of crumbling into the sea

Almost £600 million of coastal homes in England could be lost to the sea by 2100, according to a climate action group.

One Home identified 21 at-risk villages and hamlets, estimating how much coast could be eroded assuming that current policies on whether to defend, retreat or abandon sections of coastline are followed.

It used data from the Environment Agency’s National Coastal Erosion Risk Mapping dataset at five per cent confidence, indicating a less than five per cent chance of the coast being eroded further than the estimate.

Policies on whether to defend, retreat or abandon sections of coast are contained in shoreline management plans developed by coastal groups with members mainly from local councils and the Environment Agency.

The value of property damages on the land that could be hit by coastal erosion by 2100 was estimated at £584 million using average local authority values or site-specific values from Rightmove, One Home said.

The group has compiled a map highlighting what shoreline management plans are in place in different areas of coast, and what the level of protection is.

It has identified the coastal communities that could lose the most homes as being in Cornwall, Cumbria, Dorset, East Yorkshire, Essex, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Northumberland, Norfolk and Sussex.

A campaigner in Hemsby, a Norfolk village in which dozens of homes are at risk of falling into the sea, said the situation had taken a huge toll on people’s mental health.

Ian Brennan, the chairman of the Save Hemsby Coastline charity,  said more than 90 homes in the village were at risk of collapsing into the sea in the next 25 years if nothing was done.

The organisation was formed when several homes were lost during a storm surge 10 years ago, and is pressing for sea defences.

“People here are very nervous,” said Mr Brennan. “Every time there is a storm, those who live within sight and sound of the sea fear it will be the one that means they lose their home. It takes a huge toll on their mental health.”

More than a third of England’s coastline has a designation of “no active intervention”, One Home said – meaning nothing will be done.

The other two levels of protection in shoreline management plans are “hold the line”, meaning defences will be maintained and upgraded if funding is found, and “managed realignment” which involves moving or allowing the shoreline to retreat in a managed way.

Angela Terry, the chief executive of One Home, said: “Many homeowners don’t know their properties are at risk or that decisions have been made about whether to protect them or not.

“Currently, for those homes at risk there is no compensation scheme available.  Owners might be asked to pay to demolish their homes while still paying their mortgage.”

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “From 2015 to 2021, we invested £1.2 billion to better protect around 200,000 homes from coastal erosion and sea flooding.

“However, climate change means that our coast is changing at an accelerated rate, meaning in some places we and coastal authorities will need to help local communities adapt and transition away from the current coastline.

“Anyone living, visiting or working along the coast can already find out about coastal risk, current and planned coastal management by going on gov.uk.”