SHC and the Lifeboat are working with friends of the earth to present a legal challenge to the government. We think they need to be saying what they will do for people whose homes are being undermined by the sea. That's a human rights issue. There is a chance, if we were to lose, that we could have to pay the government’s legal costs, capped at £5,000. So we need to raise that in case it happens. The lifeboat has said they will help raise half of that if necessary, but it would be great if we could raise the whole £5,000 in donations. This by law needs to be and will be, kept separately in our accounts.

You can help with that HERE

If we win that would force them to help Hemsby but also everyone else on the coast in danger.

It is the government policy not to pay compensation. So currently no. Nothing.
The legal action may change that.

Nope. Never. Not a penny.

We are all volunteers. We started 11 years ago, and of the original trustees 4 of us are still here ( the other 6 originals left for personal reasons, some moved away, some retired, some became ill and some became disillusioned) and in that time more volunteers have joined. Currently, there are 9 of us. Not all 9 live in Hemsby. All have a strong connection to the village.

There is still time to sign, we have about 14,000 signatures so far on both paper and online. We have a meeting with Brandon Lewis’ parliamentary assistant this week (27th November 2023 to find the best way to deliver it.

You can sign our Online petition HERE

SHC is a registered charity. We can only do things that are legal and that are in our constitution. Any structure going into the beach needs to have planning permission to be legal. If it doesn’t then GYBC can just make you take it off again.

As trustees, we would be personally responsible for that and could additionally be reported to the charity commission and personally fined.

There is a second risk. Anyone who puts something on the beach is legally liable if their structure causes someone to hurt themselves. So if it falls on someone and they sue, again we would be personally responsible.

GYBC would have insurance if they built a berm. We would never get insurance for an illegal structure so all the risk, for the life of the structure, maybe 50 years, would sit with whoever put it on the beach.

SHC has no powers, we grew out of the village, and are fighting for the village. So if you want to take the risk go for it.

Remember that 70% of the cost won’t just be getting the materials to the beach. It will be maintenance to keep them working and safe too. So you need to factor that in.
Eg. steel will rust through and become dangerous, anything you put on the sand and weighing less than 4 1/2 tons will be thrown about by strong tides and will need to be put right at your cost.

When Scratby gabions failed after the “beast from the east” GYBC paid more to fix them than the original install cost!

A few reasons. First, they don’t have the money. Their total spend for a year is about 14 million pounds. That’s for everything, from emptying the bins to social care and libraries.

So if they did nothing across the whole borough for the year and spent every penny on the berm they still wouldn’t have enough money to complete it.

Secondly, actually, they don’t have a statutory duty to protect the coast. No one does. Not even the government. All they must do by law is preserve life and get people to safety.
That's why the law must be changed. It’s just not right. The government needs to own this, through the EA.

The million-dollar question. Ask your councilors. Ask the landowners.