To help decide if defending a coastline from erosion and/or flooding is economically justifiable.
What policy is in use at Happisburgh?
Noactiveintervention:
This is because to defend the village would have an impact 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.
What are the costs of erosion at Happisburgh?
The costs of erosion are:
£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 costs of £40-70,000) in relocation expenses plus the cost to the council of finding plots of land on which to buildnew 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.
What are the benefits of erosion at Happisburgh?
The benefits of erosion are:
By 2105, between 20 and 35 houses would be 'saved' from erosion, with a combined value of £4 million - 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.
