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MANAGEMENT OF COASTAL LINE IN HAPPISBURGH

Happisburgh, on Norfolk's North Sea coast, is a village with a population of 1400 people in about 600 houses.

Although now a coastal village, Happisburgh was once some distance from the sea, parted from the coast by the parish of Whimpwell, long since eroded away. Historic records indicate that over 250 m of land were lost between 1600 and 1850.

Happisburgh, on Norfolk's North Sea coast, is a village with a population of 1400 people in about 600 houses.

Although now a coastal village, Happisburgh was once some distance from the sea, parted from the coast by the parish of Whimpwell, long since eroded away. Historic records indicate that over 250 m of land were lost between 1600 and 1850.

More recently the village was affected by the tragic floods of 1953 that claimed the lives of 76 Norfolk residents. Figure 2 gives an example of the rapid coastal erosion at Happisburgh.

The coastline on which the village sits is being eroded by the sea at a rate of 12 metres per year. The surrounding land used to be salt marsh but was drained in the 11th century to create new farmland.revetments which used to protect the village but have now been all but destroyed by the sea. Further down the coastline other coastal defences - offshore reefs, sea walls - are in use but may be too costly to maintain. managed retreat policy and its potential implications for this part of the UK.

Coastal defences built at Happisburgh have slowed down the rate of retreat. However, large sections are now in disrepair. Sea-level rise and climate change, including increased storminess, may also increase the rate of erosion. Agriculture and tourism contribute significantly to the economy of the village and surrounding hinterland although this is threatened by the receding cliff line that, prior to the construction of a rock embankment at the northern end of the survey site, had claimed at least one property per year plus significant quantities of agricultural land.

Coastal erosion

The geology of the cliffs at Happisburgh. It is likely that the Norfolk cliffs have been eroding at the present rate for about the last 5000 years when sea level rose to within a meter or two of its present position (Clayton, 1989). Therefore, the future predictions of sea level rise and storm frequency due to climate change are likely to have a profound impact on coastal erosion and serious consequences for the effectiveness of coastal protection and sea defence schemes in East Anglia in the near future (Thomalla and Vincent, 2003).

Rapid erosion of the cliffs at Happisburgh means that we can observe processes that for other sites may normally take thousands of years. This means that we can look for patterns in the erosion at Happisburgh, which may help our understanding of sites elsewhere that are eroding more slowly

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