Hemsby and coastal erosion - frequently asked questions

The Council sought and secured planning permission for a 1.3km rock berm that would potentially provide some defence for a stretch of the dunes in Hemsby. The planning permission was the first stage to securing a scheme as this needed to be in place before a funding application could be made to the Environment Agency. However, it was always known that the current funding formula would not provide full funding.

So, at the same time, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Coastal Partnership East, with the support of Great Yarmouth MP, Sir Brandon Lewis, and Norfolk County Council, have proactively lobbied over a number of years to argue the case for Hemsby in order to identify other partnership funding as well as argue for a change to the funding formula.

In March 2023, the Council secured emergency Government funding to provide a temporary 100m rock berm at Hemsby. Almost 2,000 tonnes of granite was installed in an attempt to protect dunes and slow down erosion. Under the Coastal Protection Act (1949), Balfour Beatty was contracted to bring the granite to Hemsby which had been bought from a private supply of rock at Hopton. The project was managed by the Council's coastal management team, Coastal Partnership East (CPE). This short-term, interim option was similar to that completed to the frontage at Pakefield, Lowestoft, in December 2022.