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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many residential and commercial properties in England have been demolished, abandoned, or lost as a result of coastal erosion in each year since 2010, broken down by region and local authority area.

Local Authorities have primary responsibility for managing coastal erosion; they are not required to report demolitions and may hold alternative records. The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of flooding and coastal erosion and administers the Coastal Erosion Assistance Grant (CEAG) on behalf of Defra to support the demolition of homes at greatest risk. From 2011 to the end of 2025, 55 properties have received approximately £367,000 from the CEAG (see appendix). As recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee, the current CEAG review will consider available data and recent Local Authorities’ experience when assessing eligibility criteria.

Appendix:

• East Suffolk Council (2 properties),
• North Norfolk District Council (17 properties),
• East Riding of Yorkshire Council (17 properties),
• Great Yarmouth Borough Council (17 properties),
• Wealden District Council (1 property),
• Isle of Wight Council (1 property).