Latest news with #Hunstanton
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
'Multiple millions' needed to fix sea defences in Hunstanton
"Multiple millions" of pounds will need to be spent to repair a coastal resort's sea defences to protect it from flooding, a council has erosion has led to the beach dropping at Hunstanton, Norfolk, meaning parts of the sea wall's foundations have become exposed and Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council said more than 300 of the concrete slabs on the promenade could need replacing as health manager Dave Robson insisted the prom was not "structurally hazardous" and "it's safe to come to the beach". Stretching 1 mile (1.5km) across the front of Hunstanton, around £200,000 is spent on maintaining the town's sea defences every last year, the council began a deeper investigation into their condition and found that some sections – including those near the Oasis leisure centre and pier – were "at risk of future structural failure".Changes to offshore tides had washed away sections of beach, whilst the promenade surface – built in the 1950s – was "reaching the end of life".The council said parts of the sea wall's base would need "extra protection" and other sections may need repairs, whilst up to 338 concrete slabs on the promenade could have to be cost "will be multiple millions" warned Mr Robson, who said that although a 10 tonne vehicle weight limit had been added to the prom, it was "still safe to come to the beach"."It's not structurally hazardous at the moment. We're not going to close the prom off and say don't come," he added. Planning the work could take up to 18 months whilst rebuilding is expected to take at least two the council hopes it can get funding from the Regional Flooding and Coastal Committee, which allocates money from central Squire, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Coastal, said that given the age of the seafront, the authority had already expected major works would have to happen in the next decade:"At the moment we're spending hundreds of thousands of pounds a year putting in mortar to repair cracks and joints when that can be washed out with the next winter storm," said Squire, a member of the Independent Partnership which runs the council."So this is really looking to the future of the prom and securing its future." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Millions needed to shore up prom to protect seaside town from flooding
Millions will need to be spent on shoring up a town's flood defences because of coastal erosion. West Norfolk Council says test pits dug along Hunstanton Prom have revealed areas of its foundations are now at risk of being undermined. It is because changing offshore currents which have washed sand and shingle away from the base of the revetment exposing it to the tides. A graphic showing areas of Hunstanton which could be at risk of flooding if the Prom is not repaired (Image: West Norfolk Council) If nothing is done swathes of the seafront could be at risk of flooding by 2060 as sea levels rise and storm surges become more frequent. At a briefing on Thursday (August 7) officials said sheet piling would be needed to prevent "structural failure" along sections of the defences in front of The Oasis, the Rock Shop ramp and North Prom. Pictures showing how sand has been washed away from the base of the defences (Image: West Norfolk council) Dave Robson, the council's environmental health manager, said: "It's not hazardous at the moment but if the beach drops any more it could reveal soft ground underneath, which could lead to the risk of undermining." READ MORE: Waves crash onto the Prom at Hunstanton during a high tide (Image: Chris Bishop) Some 338 of the concrete panels which form the promenade's deck will also need to be replaced. Mr Robson said the concrete was 70 years old and in "poor condition" and new panels would need to be installed. Looking south along the Prom at Hunstanton (Image: Chris Bishop) He said drawing up plans for the work could take up to two years, while the cost would not be known until a detailed design had been agreed. The council hopes it would be funded by the Regional Flooding and Coastal Committee, which allocates flood defence funds provided by central government. Test pits were dug along the Prom to investigate the state of the defences (Image: Chris Bishop) "It's going to be multiple millions," said Mr Robson. "It's not going to be a couple of hundred thousand." A 10-tonne weight limit and 5mph speed limit will also be brought in along the Prom from September until repairs have been carried out. A smaller bin lorry has been drafted in to empty bins along the Prom.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Council faces £100,000 tax bill as its ban on second home owners makes its new flats in multi-million-pound seafront development unsellable
A council faces a £100k tax bill after its ban on second home owners left it unable to find a single buyer for a new multi-million-pound seafront development. Bosses have been forced to lift the restriction on the flats in Hunstanton which were intended to go on the market - for local people only - in December 2023. But the 'embarrassing' failure to shift a single one of the 32 apartments has forced West Norfolk Council to lift its restriction on selling accommodation to people whose principal homes are elsewhere. The block of flats - called Styleman Court - were built by the council and part-funded by Homes England. But as the coalition-led authority has failed to secure a single buyer it risks blowing a further hole in its finances if the disused accommodation triggers its own empty homes premium. It is understood the council would be liable to pay a double tax bill close to £100,000 for the empty properties. If buyers are not found by February 2026, the empty homes premium will come into full force. Fearful officials subsequently lifted the ban on second home owners in a behind-closed-doors meeting last month. The Local Democracy Service reported Simon Ring, deputy leader of the council, said: 'If the properties are still empty in a year's time, we will suffer the empty homes tax, which will be like being hoisted by our own petard.' Leaders have been said to show reluctance towards offering mortgages on the seaside flats as they fear it would make them unsellable in the future due to buying restrictions. Confidential papers seen by the Local Democracy Service state removing the conditions would boost the value of each by an average of £39,500. A spokesman for the council said: 'The restriction was introduced to ensure that people who bought the homes lived in them. However, this had the unintended consequence of making it harder for local people to buy the flats because it affected mortgage availability. 'While accepting that it also means people can buy the flats as holiday homes, the removal of the restriction is primarily intended to make it easier for local people to purchase them.' Independent councillor, Paul Beal, told The Telegraph: 'It's a lesson that's been learnt and a mistake can't happen again. The flats are built on a car park ... No one wants to live there full time. 'But as a holiday home destination, I think it would be fantastic. It's half a minute from the beach and you're two minutes from the town. 'Hunstanton was built for tourism, it is purely a tourist town and that's the way it has to be. It's our biggest industry so we should embrace it.' Another councillor said the failure to secure a single buyer after 19 months was 'embarrassing'. It comes as construction costs for the project have gone almost £2m over budget - believed to be the result of delays and the rising cost of materials. The council did not comment further on the figure on account of it being published in a private report. Six of the apartments are due to be kept by the council to be used as social housing. The rest are scheduled to go back on the market without the ban on second home ownership.
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Council faces £100k tax bill after ban on second home owners backfires
A council has been forced to reverse its ban on second home owners after failing to find a single buyer for a multi-million seafront development. Red-faced bosses at West Norfolk Council have lifted the restriction on a £7m block of flats in a desperate bid to prevent the council becoming liable for its own empty homes premium. The flats in Hunstanton – built by the council in a project part-funded by Homes England – were intended to only be sold to locals after being put on the market in December 2023. But the coalition-led authority has failed to secure a single buyer for the 32 homes in an 'embarrassing' failure, which risks blowing a further hole in its finances. The block of flats – called Styleman Court – is in danger of triggering the council's own empty homes premium. It is thought the double tax bill the council will have to pay itself for the empty properties would be close to £100k. Fearful of becoming a victim of its own penalty, councillors agreed to lift the ban on selling the flats to people whose principal homes are elsewhere in a behind-closed-doors meeting last month. If buyers are not found, the empty homes premium will kick in from February 2026. The Local Democracy Service reported that Simon Ring, deputy leader of the council, said: 'If the properties are still empty in a year's time, we will suffer the empty homes tax, which will be like being hoisted by our own petard.' Lenders have reportedly been reluctant to offer mortgages on the seaside flats amid fears they would be unsellable in the future as a result of the buying restrictions. Confidential papers seen by the Local Democracy Service state that removing the conditions will boost the value of each flat by an average of £39,500. A spokesman for the council said: 'The restriction was introduced to ensure that people who bought the homes lived in them. However, this had the unintended consequence of making it harder for local people to buy the flats because it affected mortgage availability. 'While accepting that it also means people can buy the flats as holiday homes, the removal of the restriction is primarily intended to make it easier for local people to purchase them.' 'No one wants to permanently live there' Independent councillor, Paul Beal, told The Telegraph: 'It's a lesson that's been learnt and a mistake can't happen again. The flats are built on a car park ... No one wants to live there full time. 'But as a holiday home destination, I think it would be fantastic. It's half a minute from the beach and you're two minutes from the town. 'Hunstanton was built for tourism, it is purely a tourist town and that's the way it has to be. It's our biggest industry so we should embrace it.' Another councillor said the failure to secure a single buyer after 19 months was 'embarrassing'. It is thought that construction costs for the project have gone almost £2m over budget due to delays and rising prices of materials. The council refused to comment further on this figure due to it being published in a private report. The flats are due to go back on the market without the ban on second home ownership. Six of the apartments are due to be kept by the council to be used as social housing.
BBC News
06-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Piles of furniture in Hunstanton to be tidied by council
A council has been given permission to clear piles of household furniture from a property after complaints from neighbours it was attracting debris is stacked up in the front garden of the house in enforcement notice ordering the homeowner to clear it up expired last Monday, a planning committee at the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk said its officers could remove it themselves. While the homeowner has made a start clearing the exterior, she told the BBC she strongly denied it was a health council issued a Section 215 enforcement notice, giving the homeowner a week to remove the rubbish herself. It expired on 27 the decision this week, the council could charge the occupant for any cleaning its officers have to do. Marie Bateson, who is volunteers director at the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers, said the waste could be a fire hazard."Open or food waste could entice rodents," she explained."There could be trip hazards if there's lots of things on the floor or things that would fall on them... if that person is unwell it's very, very, difficult for the emergency services to get in because there aren't clear pathways." Ms Bateson said there could be an impact on neighbours who felt their homes were devalued.A spokesperson for the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk said: "The council is working with the owner to manage her property."Officers recognise that she has made an effort to clear the exterior and they will continue to support her to do this."However, they also have the council's authority to take direct action, which means that if it becomes necessary, a clear-up can be undertaken, for which she will be liable." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
