Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with (a) Great Yarmouth Borough Council, (b) Norfolk County Council and (c) the Environment Agency on long-term coastal erosion management options for Hemsby, including managed realignment and engineered defences.

The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change. Local authorities take the lead in managing coastal erosion. In Hemsby, Great Yarmouth Borough Council are the lead authority for coastal erosion.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is a partner in the £8 million Resilient Coast Project – part of the Government’s £150 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. This project is working with communities, including Hemsby, to develop new, innovative methods to build resilience and help communities adapt to flooding and coastal erosion.

The Environment Agency are working closely with Great Yarmouth Borough Council as they consider and implement options for the management of the area. The Environment Agency’s Local Operations Area Leadership team meets frequently with Council representatives and regularly attends Hemsby Stakeholder Group meetings hosted by the Council.