Information about coastal flooding and erosion and who is responsible for what
What is coastal flooding?
Coastal flooding occurs when there is an overflow of sea water into surrounding areas which are not normally submerged by sea water. Coastal flooding can occur as a result of the following conditions:
- High tidal level and spring tides
- Storm surges
- Strong winds strengthening wave action
The West Norfolk coastline has previously experienced notable coastal flooding in January 1953, January 1978 and December 2013. Responsibility for managing coastal flood risk in West Norfolk lies with the Environment Agency.
What is coastal erosion?
Coastal erosion occurs when a feature (such as cliffs or a beach) decreases in size because of coastal processes, such as wave action, removing material from it and decreasing its size.
Responsibility for managing coastal erosion for 2.8km of coastline between Hunstanton and the Hunstanton Cliffs lies with the Borough Council who are the designated coastal protection authority.
Coastal Policy
How we manage the West Norfolk coastline and sea defences is governed by various acts and policies which we follow.
Coastal Protection Act (1949)
The Coastal Protection Act of 1949 was introduced to amend the law relating to protection of the coast against erosion by the sea. Under the Coastal Protection Act (1949) the Borough Council was appointed as a ‘Coastal Protection Authority’ for 2.8km of coastline between Hunstanton and the Hunstanton Cliffs. This gives us powers to protect land against erosion by the sea.
You can read more about the Coastal Protection Act 1949 here.
Flood and Water Management Act (2010)
Following flooding during the summer of 2007, an independent review of the floods known as the Pitt Review was undertaken to determine what could have been done differently. One of the key outcomes of this review was the development of The Flood and Water Management Act (2010). The act was introduced to improve flood risk management and to ensure security of water supplies in England and Wales. The Act established Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) who have responsibility for managing local flood risk. For Norfolk, the LLFA is Norfolk County Council.
Shoreline Management Plans
Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) are non-statutory plans outlining management policies for how the risks associated with coastal flooding and erosion will be sustainably managed over the next 100-years. We use these Plans to inform management decisions we make at the coast. The first generation of SMPs were published in the late 1990s. We are now on the second generation of SMPs which were completed in 2010. In total there are 22 SMPs covering the coastline of England and Wales, 2 of which cover the West Norfolk coastline. These SMPs are:
- SMP 4 – The Wash (Gibraltar Point to Hunstanton) led by the Environment Agency.
- SMP 5 – North Norfolk (Hunstanton to Kelling Hard) led by the Environment Agency.
In 2019 all SMPs underwent a ‘refresh’. The purpose of this was to ensure the current iteration of SMPs remain accurate and up to date, taking into account changes which have occurred since SMPs were published in 2010. This ‘refresh’ was not a re-write of the SMP documents produced in 2010, instead its outcomes led to new supplementary guidance and recommendations being made for all SMPs. The Environment Agency are currently developing a new web-based tool called ‘SMP Explorer’ which will host all SMP documents and the outcomes of the ‘refresh’ and aims to make SMPs more accessible.
Further information
Further information on how we are implementing coastal policy in West Norfolk can be found on the below web pages: