Hemsby: 'Fantastic step' in fight to save coastal village

A woman fighting to save a village from the sea said she was "over the moon" at progress to build a rock defence.

An application for a 1.3km (0.8 mile) berm, a line of rocks at the base of the cliff, at Hemsby, Norfolk, has been approved in principle.

It could slow down coastal erosion, which has severely affected the area, but Great Yarmouth Borough Council warned funding still had to be found.

Campaigner Lorna Bevan called it "a fantastic step in the right direction".

Seven bungalows along The Marrams had to be demolished when sandy cliffs washed away in March 2018 and, in December 2013, "the worst storm surge in 60 years", destroyed seven homes.

Ms Bevan, who founded the group Save Hemsby Coastline and runs The Lacon Arms pub on the coast said she was "over the moon" at the planning decision.

"We were at a stalemate in the process but this decision means we can pull out all the stops to start chasing the funding.

"The destruction here at the moment is awful and we're getting to a critical point for so many properties but the berm would give us the protection we need and give us hope again."

The rock berm is expected to cost about £8m and leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council Carl Smith said everyone was working hard on securing funding.

"I'm delighted that this important coastal scheme has taken this critical step forward," he said.

"We're not there yet, however. Our next steps are to build on the work we are doing with the community, land owners and government to find the money needed to build it."

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