Latest news with #coastal erosion
ABC News
2 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Pelican Point residents build seawalls despite scepticism of rising sea-level threat
Their houses are just a few metres from the sea, but many locals in the South Australian town of Pelican Point are sceptical of predictions their town will one day be under water. Still, almost all of the homes in the small South East town that face directly onto the ocean now have home-made sea walls in front of them. The local District Council of Grant is preparing a coastal adaptation strategy for the town, along with other areas under threat from rising sea levels and rougher seas caused by climate change. With legal costs rising, the council and the Coast Protection Board abandoned legal action in 2017 against property owners who built sea walls decades ago. These first unauthorised sea walls were built by some homeowners on crown land up to 30 years ago but experts say they can exacerbate wave damage to neighbouring properties. Both the council and the board decided a town-wide approach was needed but, while waiting for action, residents and holiday homeowners such as Adrian Ferguson have put rocks weighing up to 3.5 tonnes between their properties and the Southern Ocean. "The last shack to our right was done just before the [recent] storms," Mr Ferguson said. A draft version of the council's coastal adaptation strategy says there is a 50 per cent chance that almost all the land the town is on will be eroded away by 2100. The same area is also expected to be inundated by more than 1.25 metres of water during 1-in-100-year floods by the end of the century. Mr Ferguson has also helped other property owners with houses facing west towards the ocean to install new or improved sea walls. Now the only land without a protective barrier is council-owned. "It's stopping erosion in front of our shacks; otherwise it would just be gone, the way the sea has been." He believed the increased urgency for building seawalls came down to increased house prices, which reach up to $700,000, rather than the predicted sea-level rise. "I think the costing of the shacks has got out of control like everything, but I don't think the sea is rising … you talk to the old guys here, they've seen this before." The council's draft plan says Pelican Point is very exposed to both inundation and erosion hazards. It is forming a Pelican Point Working Group to advise on implementing solutions to the expected flooding and erosion. "The town's low elevation makes it highly vulnerable to inundation during storm events, which is likely to cause substantial damage to both public and private assets," the draft strategy states. A council survey of mostly Pelican Point, Carpenter Rocks and Port MacDonnell residents found only about a third would support moving private property as part of the adaptation strategy. Almost three-quarters said they were willing to make changes to their homes or assets as an adaptation strategy. More than half said they would be willing to contribute financially to improving coastal management and hazard resilience of the community, despite previously rejecting a similar proposal. "Several [residents] demand immediate action, fearing irreversible damage; others question the need for drastic measures, seeing changes as natural," a report on the survey said. "Scepticism exists toward climate modelling and long-term projections." Sally Stower lives in Carpenter Rocks, just a short distance from Pelican Point. She said the coastal adaptation strategy put properties like hers in the medium-to-high risk category of erosion because it did not take into account the offshore reef that caused the wreck of the SS Admella, South Australia's largest maritime disaster, 166 years ago. This could affect the ability to sell the property, its price, insurance and planning approvals. "My major concern is that the report is missing a major piece of infrastructure that already exists and that's the reef structure," she said. The consultant who is developing the strategy, Andrew Pomeroy, said the risk of inundation and erosion at Pelican Point had been known for a long time and that feedback through submissions and public meetings would be considered in the final plan to be released soon. "It is important to note that the mapped hazard areas indicate zones at risk under a 'no action' scenario and they do not represent definitive predictions of where erosion or inundation will occur — simply that those areas are at risk of impact as a consequence of those processes," Dr Pomeroy said. The council's chief executive, Darryl Whicker, said the strategy at least gave it some detail about what was under threat. "What this plan does is give us a base in which to work from, how to prioritise those adaptation strategies, and to seek funding into the future," he said. David Miller has lived for 55 years in the small area in Pelican Point where the coastline is predicted to stay the same or expand into what is now the ocean. He said he could understand why others had put in seawalls despite their legal ambiguity. "I think most of the people down there are aware of what's going on and they're making their own way of protecting their asset," he said. Mr Miller would not like to have to pay for a sanctioned seawall in front of the at-risk properties, an attitude Mr Ferguson understands. "I wouldn't either if I was up on the reef over the other side there safe and dry," Mr Ferguson said.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Watchet council hits back over close of 'critical' coast road
A town council in Somerset has said it wants "transparency" over the decision to close a coastal to coastal erosion, the B3191 between Watchet and Blue Anchor has been closed since January 2023, and it was announced in May that the road would be permanently Watchet Town Council has said it has "urgent concerns" over the way the closure of the "critical" route was Council said: "All responses are being taken into account. We have received a letter from the town council and will respond to them in detail shortly." While not objecting to the closure of the road itself, Watchet Town Council claimed Somerset Council, which manages the highway, is not "really properly doing any due diligence over alternatives".John Irven from the council said the unitary authority "gave a 21-day notice period, but didn't really publish it, so a lot people weren't able to put objections in". "So we've asked them why they're not publishing that on their website to give more people the opportunity to understand and put their objections in," he added."We really want some clarification from them on what specific actions they're going to do to involve the public and those who've made objections." John Richards, speaking in his capacity as the chairman of the town's chamber of commerce, said "We believe the original road closure was necessary and a continued one - but we believe there are alternatives. "They might be pricey, but it has not been properly investigated and costed. This is where we find Somerset Council in error."Somerset Council said: "A team met with Watchet Town Council to brief them on the proposed Temporary Traffic Regulation Order process before we commenced it."Somerset Council has followed the appropriate legal process for this type of traffic order, including consultation requirements."
Telegraph
23-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Residents out of pocket as council removes beach huts
Beach huts condemned because of coastal erosion are being removed at a cost to residents because of a 'risk averse' council. Work is under way to remove 43 wooden cabins at Hordle Cliff in Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, after New Forest district council decided against improving sea defences. The huts, worth about £25,000 each, have been battered by winter storms and left either badly damaged or at risk of falling into the sea. As it is not possible to take out insurance on the huts, the owners have been left out of pocket, and said they had been asked to pay towards the cost of removal. Hut owners pay the council as land owner a licence of about £800 a year, but this fee will be used to cover the costs of the removal work, and those who were due a refund will have £300 taken out of it. Owners blame the council's 'lack or will' to mitigate the erosion risk for the loss of their beloved huts. James Cox bought his hut in 2002 and had used his expertise as a naval architect to make it more secure against storms. He said it would not be 'particularly difficult' for the council to secure the huts to wind and waves. Mr Cox said he was 'not surprised' to lose the hut 'given the council's aversion to manage risk and general lack or will to find a workable solution'. He added: 'My hut wasn't damaged, or particularly at risk, in my judgment. I deal with designing structures to survive environmental loading on a daily basis so I'm perfectly qualified to make this assessment. 'The real reason our licences were revoked is because the council are risk averse and simply lack the will to manage the risks.' Paul Major, of the New Forest Beach Hut Owner's Association, said: 'Having been in that situation, it is a massive loss – some owners have had their huts through the generations. 'There were requests made to the council over the years to permit some sort of sea defence and these have all been denied due to the policy within its shoreline management plan.' The latest removal work comes after 31 huts were taken away from the same beach in June last year. New Forest district council said it had no statutory duty to undertake coastal erosion risk management measures at any coastal site. The council also said Storm Herminia in January this year was believed to be the strongest to hit the UK in at least 10 years, causing a lot of erosion and cliff destabilisation. Geoffrey Blunden, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability at New Forest district council, said: 'Beach erosion and cliff movement caused by winter storms has damaged some beach huts and caused others at the eastern end of Hordle Cliff to be at greater risk from future storms. 'We advise anyone considering buying a beach hut or other asset on, or close to, the coast to consider the risk before purchasing.'
ABC News
21-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Why a seawall might not protect both beaches and homes from coastal erosion
Do home owners have a right to protect their home from coastal erosion, when it could come at the cost of neighbouring properties or public access to the beach? When it comes to protecting homes and even community assets like surf clubs, footpaths and roads along Australia's popular beaches, one coastal erosion expert put it like this: "How much is protecting my private land impacting broader society?" Some landowners feel they need to take matters into their own hands, with a businessman south of Melbourne building an unauthorised concrete seawall along his beachfront property in an effort to protect it from erosion and landslips. But experts say building individual seawalls can make the problem worse. So what can be done to protect homes, roads and surf clubs from coastal erosion, and does it come at the expense of the character of the beach? Professor David Kennedy is a geomorphologist — a scientist who studies landscapes — at the University of Melbourne. He said the first thing to know was, basically, you could not hold back the tide. "As soon as you put in one seawall, you just transfer the demand next door," he said. "The demand for the sand is still there." He said sea level rise caused by climate change would mean the issue was not going away, and Australians needed to consider what we valued about our coastline. Is it infrastructure like homes, roads and surf clubs, or is it the beaches themselves? "Otherwise, we'll end up with a giant wall around our beaches, or around our whole coastline," Professor Kennedy said. Professor Kennedy said governments of various levels were developing plans to manage coastal resilience, but development was happening too quickly to keep up. "We've got to slow down development and look at what we value about the beach," he said. But for a nation of beach-lovers, those are difficult discussions. For many people who live along Australia's coastline, it is a pressing issue, and a financial one, as finding insurance is becoming increasingly difficult. A spokesperson for the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) confirmed that "actions of the sea" were generally not covered by home insurance policies. That is even though an ICA spokesperson told the ABC "communities and properties are increasingly vulnerable to coastal erosion being made worse by climate change". In 2021, the ICA commissioned a report that confirmed Australia's exposure to current and future risks from the sea, including coastal erosion, king tides and rising sea levels, was "very high". It predicted the number of properties at risk of coastal erosion and inundation would increase and recommended investment in protection infrastructure, where environmentally and economically feasible. It also called for planning rules to limit new development in high-risk locations. Councillor Robert Szatkowski is the president of the Association of Bayside Municipalities — an alliance of councils that share the coastline around Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay. He said there was a clear need to "simplify and clarify who's responsible for what along Victoria's coastline". "Councils are on the front lines, but we can't be expected to foot the bill alone for emergency works like beach repairs and sand renourishment," he said. Mr Szatkowski said the current "tangle of agencies" involved in managing coastlines could cause delays when problems arose and fast action was needed. "This is not just about infrastructure … it's about protecting our communities, our local economies, and our natural environment. Without strong, unified action, all three are at risk." Along Australia's coast, communities have opted for various solutions to the problem eating away at homes, surf clubs and roads. On the NSW Central Coast, violent swells that hammered the beach in 2020 saw some homes partially collapse. Council workers have installed large bags of rocks and delivered sand to help replenish the beach — but some locals are calling for more urgent works. But it is not just homes that are at risk. In Victoria, there have been various efforts to shore up the iconic Great Ocean Road, including at Apollo Bay, where research in 2012 found the beach was eroding at a rate of 9 centimetres a year. Professor Kennedy said part of the appeal of the Great Ocean Road was being able to witness the Southern Ocean up close — for better and for worse. "The reason the Twelve Apostles is so impressive is, it's eroding," he said. At Inverloch, in Victoria's Gippsland region, locals say sand replenishment works and sandbags are no longer enough. They are calling for urgent action to protect their surf club from being swept into the ocean. Lighthouses are also at risk. At Robe, in South Australia, at least 10 metres of cliff collapsed in a weekend near the community's working lighthouse. In the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, millions of cubic metres of sand were gouged from the coastline. But some experts said despite the dramatic erosion, it showed how good management could protect waterfront infrastructure in the face of severe weather. Back on the beach at Frankston South, landowner Gene Neill told the ABC he would like to see the council build a seawall along the coast to protect homes and act as a path for people to walk along, like the one in Melbourne's bayside suburbs. While Mr Neill previously denied the seawall was being built on public land, a government spokesperson told the ABC the Frankston South beach was "public land". Professor Kennedy said the legality of building seawalls on private property was a planning question for individual local councils. He said governments would need to consider buying back beachfront land and rehabilitating it, to protect both infrastructure and the beach. It means the Frankston South case is one to watch — with other coastal residents and beach users standing by to see how authorities handle it.
BBC News
20-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Plans gathered to save graves from coastal erosion in Happisburgh
Plans to exhume remains from a graveyard threatened by coastal erosion were being worked on, a council said. St Mary the Virgin Church in Happisburgh, Norfolk, is now 80m away from a cliff edge and officials believe the cemetery could be lost to the sea in less than 20 years. North Norfolk District Council, the Diocese of Norwich and Happisburgh Parish Council have started to consider what action needs to be taken to protect the graves. Harry Blathwayt, a Liberal Democrat councillor and the cabinet member for the coast on the district council, said: "We are working with the local community to identify possible solutions. "We need to get ready for the future. It is not something we would wish to be surprised by." The authorities have been working with a government-backed Coastwise scheme, which aims to prepare coastal communities threatened by has commissioned a report to investigate the relocation of bodies from cemeteries and graveyards at risk of being lost to the the threat was imminent in Happisburgh it has been treated as a test case, to establish how such a large-scale relocation of remains might be added: "This is a national worry and is going to become a problem in the future." Exposed to erosion While Happisburgh might be seen as a pilot project, it would not be the first church – or graveyard – to be lost to the churches at nearby Eccles and at Dunwich, Suffolk, fell victim to shifting coastlines, graves were left to be exposed by the erosion."We cannot allow that to happen," added fate of the 15th Century church and graveyard has been raised during meetings with villagers and the Diocese of Norwich, which has responsibility for the part of these talks, parishioners have considered decommissioning the graveyard so no more burials could take place there.A Diocese of Norwich spokeswoman said: "This is not a new problem in the Diocese of Norwich. At least nine churches and therefore graveyards were lost to coastal erosion during the Middle Ages."At Dunwich in Suffolk, which was in the Diocese of Norwich in the Middle Ages, an entire town with eight churches was washed away by coastal erosion." The church grounds is Happisburgh include the graves of 119 sailors who died on HMS Invincible in March 1801, when the ship ran into difficulties after leaving Great Yarmouth to fight in the Battle of it made its way along the coast, it got stuck on the Hammond's Knoll near Haisborough 200 sailors escaped the wreck but more than 400 drowned.A memorial was unveiled in 1998 after some of the sailors' remains were discovered during work to dig a trench a decade prior. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
