Information guide for coastal residents
We are pleased that One Home’s coastal erosion project has helped raise crucial awareness of the impact on coastal communities from rising sea levels. Please note however that in January 2025, the Environment Agency finally released maps that include climate projections therefore, the results below have been superseded by the updated NCERM, which accompanies the national assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England.
We created this map to raise awareness of coastal risks and start a national discussion on climate change impacts on the coast. There are many local action groups formed by communities under threat from the sea but there isn’t a national voice for those impacted by sea level rise and the consequences of climate change. There is still no compensation for residents who lose their homes to collapsing cliffs.
Here is a list of actions, recommendations and further advice and resources to help you understand your risks, plan ahead, and raise awareness of climate change impacts on the coast.
Advice
Share the map with friends and family
There are a large number of people who are still unaware of their risks on the coast. Raising awareness of erosion and flooding is crucial for strengthening our collective voice and to help communities make appropriate decisions about their homes before it’s too late.
Understanding your risk: Our map helps to highlight your risks on the coast from climate change and sea level rise. However, the erosion dataset does not account for the most recent climate change projections. This means it may be underestimating erosion risks in your area. See our data page to understand your risk better.
Please note that our map is only showing the coastlines with the highest number of properties at risk based on currently available data. If your coastline is not featured in the map it does not mean it is safe from coastal erosion. There are many other areas that are experiencing erosion across the country, such as coastlines that have plans to maintain defences but not necessarily the funding or technical feasibility to support that.
Check for coastal management, flood risk, and flood warnings in your area
Check coastal erosion management in your area: https://www.gov.uk/check-coastal-erosion-management-in-your-area
Check the long-term flood risk for an areas in England: https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk
Check for flood warnings: https://www.gov.uk/check-flooding
Get in touch with your MP
Our map and website provide information of the shoreline management plans and erosion risks in your area. If you are concerned about these issues you can use this information to ask your MP to speak up for coastal risks and climate change impacts in Parliament.
Recommendations
All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coastal Communities: Recommendations
Our CEO Angela Terry was invited to speak at the January APPG meeting on Coastal Communities to highlight the risks and lack of support available to those impacted from coastal erosion. The meeting was well attended by MPs, local authorities, coastal practitioners and the Environment Agency, and it concluded the following headlines and actions:
- A call was made to change policy and make Shoreline Management Plans statutory rather than advisory.
- A call was made again for a dedicated Minister for Coast.
- A need for a cross-departmental coastal task force to change the single-sector approach to a multi-sector proactive approach.
- The need to deliver the Climate Change Committee Risk Assessment (2020) recommendations for a national adaptation framework and coastal viability assessment.
- Further support and funding mechanisms need to be put in place for those impacted by coastal erosion.
Further advice and resources
If you are at risk from coastal erosion there are two initiatives underway: the Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP) and the Coastal Loss Innovative Funding and Financing (CLIFF). The CTAP programme is focused on East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk, the two local authorities with the highest erosion rates and number of homes at risk in England.
£36 million has been allocated to the Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP) which is a five-year (2022-2027) programme to explore ways to adapt to the effects of climate change on the coast. Its aim is to explore ways of moving at-risk communities and properties away from the coast, known as ‘rollback’. In particular, the project aims to trial funding and financial mechanisms for rollback that have been developed and shortlisted by the Coastal Loss Innovative Funding and Financing (CLIFF) study (commissioned by DEFRA and Coastal Partnerships East). The hope is that the evidence and learning captured in these programmes can be shared and implemented in other vulnerable coastlines across the country.
The Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group (LGA Coastal SIG) influences government, national agencies, and supports local authorities to deliver on a range of coastal issues. They have a membership of 57 local authorities from around the coast of England. Use their map on their coastal adaptation page to find out further information on coastal erosion and flooding on your local council websites.
Coastal Partnership East brings together the coastal management expertise from three local authorities into a single team: Great Yarmouth Borough Council, North Norfolk District Council, and East Suffolk Council. See their website to find information on coastal management strategies and projects along the Norfolk and Suffolk coast.
Support for coastal communities at risk in East Riding of Yorkshire: https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/environment/sustainable-environment/looking-after-our-coastline/support-for-coastal-communities-at-risk/#rollback
The East Riding Coastal Change Fund offers limited financial assistance and advice to those affected by erosion in the East Riding of Yorkshire. If you own or rent a property which is at risk from erosion, you might qualify for a Relocation Package or an Adaptation Package:
Relocation Package (funding for some or all of the following options):
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- Property demolition and site restoration (total cost).
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- Relocation (such as removal van hire or temporary storage of your belongings) (£1,000 maximum).
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- Out-of-pocket expenses caused by your relocation to a new home (£200 maximum hardship grant).
Adaptation Package (funding for one of the following options):
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- Rollback (out-of-pocket expenses caused by your decision to replace a threatened coastal property with a new home inland. If you are granted planning permission for rollback, you can consider claiming back the planning application fee and other costs such as planning agent and architect fees. Unfortunately, funding will not be offered to help you to buy land or to build new property).
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- Assistance grants (for adapting properties which are not at imminent risk from coastal erosion, but which need to be adapted if they are to remain in residential use in the long-term. Examples include relocating septic tanks or access routes which are at risk from erosion before the properties which they serve).
Support for coastal communities in North Norfolk: https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/tasks/coastal-management/find-out-about-help-if-your-property-is-at-risk-from-erosion/
Assistance from planning policies: Properties which are at risk of erosion within 20 years, (50 years for business properties), are covered by planning policy EN12 in the Council’s 2008 Core Strategy. This policy provides that planning permission should be granted for a replacement dwelling for a property affected by erosion provided that certain conditions are met.
Rollback opportunities: If you own a residential property that is at risk from coastal erosion the ‘rollback’ opportunity potentially enables you to recover some value from your property before it is lost to the sea. Contact the North Norfolk Coastal Management team for more information.
Financial assistance for property demolition: North Norfolk District Council can access a grant of up to £6000 to assist in meeting the costs associated with demolishing residential properties at risk from coastal erosion. Eligibility is dependent on certain criteria so contact the North Norfolk Coastal Management team for more information
Informative articles:
Support for coastal communities in North Norfolk: https://www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/news/23226258.north-norfolk-council-set-buy-homes-risk-erosion/
The Environment Agency is commissioning an SMP Refresh project, which is currently underway. Its aims are to review the current SMP documents and action plans to ensure they remain up to date and relevant. The results of this project may trigger a process of changing policies in some coastal sections.
The SMP Refresh is also commissioning an online digital platform, ‘SMP Explorer’, which will host the SMP information for the whole country in one place; making SMPs more accessible; and which can be searched and viewed by all. This is currently in development with the aim of being available sometime from late 2023 or early 2024. This will increase the accessibility of the SMP documents and information to a wider audience beyond coastal groups including communities at risk from coastal change.
The Environment Agency has also commissioned a consultancy to improve predictions of long-term erosion risks through an update of NCERM (NCERM2), with the aim to launch in 2024. The new dataset will incorporate the most recent climate change projections, as well as datasets from national and local sources, including local authorities. This will better reflect the situation on the ground including the impact of climate change on accelerating erosion
Disclaimer
This information is provided for guidance only. Please see the full disclaimer in our terms and conditions.
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