East Suffolk Council

Posted by on 28 November 2022 | Comments

Communities and businesses in Southwold and neighbouring villages are the first pilot area of the Resilient Coasts project to take part in the launch of a 6-year project to help create coastal communities that are resilient to a changing climate.

This project is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.

The first events, which are taking place on 2 December and 3 December at the Southwold and Reydon Constitutional Club, will share the project’s aims and invite community members to work with the project team to co-create a masterplan which brings together visions for the coast and how this links to the Harbour and estuary.

In addition to the drop in events, a Virtual Visitor Centre, which uses gaming technology developed during the pandemic, will be available, ensuring people can access the project information and take part, even if they are unable to attend the event.

Cllr David Ritchie, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management and Chair of the Project Board, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the community of Southwold to work with key partners to become the architects of their own change. We need to work on this together and tackle changes in policy and support available to help our communities and businesses to build a resilient and enjoyable coast for many generations to come. We are delighted to be able to host an in-person event as well as providing an option to take part online and we look forward to working with our pilot and twin communities in East Suffolk and Great Yarmouth and hearing what they value about where they live work and visit. We hope that many people locally will take this opportunity to come and meet the project team and to get involved.”

The Southwold Virtual Visitor Centre will be live from Friday 2 December and will remain open and updated regularly throughout the project.

Resilient Coasts Project
East Suffolk Council in partnership with Great Yarmouth Borough Council has made a successful bid to Defra’s Flood and Coastal Resilience Programme (FCRIP). An £8.4m funding award has been confirmed to test and demonstrate innovative practical actions to reduce damage, disruption, and loss from flooding and coastal erosion. The evidence and learning will inform future approaches to, and investments in, flood and coastal erosion risk management across the UK.

Find out more about the Flood and Coast Resilience Innovation Programme. 

Norfolk and Suffolk have some of the fastest eroding coasts in Europe, with over 2,500 homes at direct coastal risk and thousands more properties and businesses directly and indirectly affected by loss of property, infrastructure and utilities. The Resilient Coasts Project will implement an ambitious resilience programme for the East Suffolk and Great Yarmouth coastal frontage, that delivers real adaptation and resilience options for our communities.

The Resilient Coasts project will be implemented in four core pilot locations across the East Suffolk and Great Yarmouth frontage, plus four additional ‘twin’ locations. The pilot areas in East Suffolk are Thorpeness and Southwold with twin areas in Pakefield and Corton/Gunton. The work will be delivered in close collaboration with our coastal communities.

Coastal Partnership East, the coastal management team for East Suffolk Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and North Norfolk District Council, will be managing and delivering the project. www.coasteast.org.uk