Find out about the Coastal Management Plan we're developing for Hunstanton
What is the Hunstanton Coastal Management Plan?
The Hunstanton Coastal Management Plan (HCMP) is a plan for managing Hunstanton’s coastline at a local level for the purposes of flood and coastal erosion risk management over the short term (2018-2030), medium term (2030-2060) and long term (2060-2118).
The Plan covers two areas of coastline which are managed by the Borough Council. These are:
- Unit A – Hunstanton Cliffs
- Unit B – Hunstanton Town
The HCMP assessed in detail various measures which could be implemented over the next 100-years to:
- Maintain the standard of protection provided by the Hunstanton coastal defences
- Monitor the rate of erosion of the Hunstanton Cliffs
- Reduce the rate of erosion of the Hunstanton Cliffs in the medium to long term
Who was involved with producing the Plan?
The HCMP was commissioned by the Borough Council and prepared by external consultants AECOM. There was also input from the WECMS Stakeholder Forum.
What are the outcomes of the Plan?
For the Hunstanton Cliffs, the Plan recommended establishing high accuracy monitoring of the cliffs to monitor current rates of cliff erosion. This information will be used to further inform when cliff top assets (e.g. B1161 road) may become at risk and management measures required to reduce the rate of erosion. The preferred option to reduce the rate of erosion is rock armour at the base of the cliffs, which the Plan identified is likely to be required in the long term (2055 onwards). Further information on the Hunstanton Cliff monitoring can be found on our webpage here.
For Hunstanton Town, the Plan recommended maintaining the existing seawall and promenade via periodic concrete encasement and resurfacing. For the wave return walls, the Plan recommended sustaining the existing standard of protection by initially maintaining them, then raising their height in line with predicted sea level rise in the medium to long-term.
Hunstanton Management Coastal Plan documents
Further information on preferred management approaches can be found in the HCMP documents, appendices and addendum below.
Further information
If you need to speak to us about the HCMP, you can contact us at any time by email at floodandwatermanagement@west-norfolk.gov.uk.