East Suffolk Council
Thorpeness Survey – Your Village, Your Future
To ensure the wider Thorpeness community are prepared for a future shaped by rapid coastal change, residents, visitors and businesses in the village are being asked to take part in a survey to help inform future decisions.
Following a recent increase in the rate of coastal erosion to the north of the village, East Suffolk Council officers have met with homeowners to discuss potential risks and safety plans for their properties as well as working together to explore any feasible short-term interventions.
Additionally, officers have been using drone technology, funded through the Resilient Coasts project, to monitor the area and enable an increased understanding of erosion rates and beach movement.
Developed in partnership with members of Thorpeness Parish Council, Thorpeness Coastal Futures Group, the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, East Suffolk Council and local property owners, the survey is now offering residents, business owners and visitors the opportunity to give their views and help inform future conversations about coastal erosion and tidal flooding.
The survey is available online, and leaflets raising awareness of the survey will also be distributed to all Thorpeness properties. The survey, which is being undertaken as part of the Resilient Coasts project, will ask what people think about living in, working in or visiting the village, what their issues and concerns are, and what people know about coastal erosion and how it might affect Thorpeness, now and in the future. It should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Paper copies are available on request.
Cllr Mark Packard, East Suffolk Council’s cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management said:
“Whilst we are dealing with the imminent risk to properties, we are also keen to engage the wider community to raise awareness of the issues and ensure people have the opportunity to develop and share ideas on what actions could help Thorpeness prepare for the future impacts of coastal erosion and tidal flooding.
“East Suffolk has some of the fastest eroding coast in northwest Europe and whilst a certain amount of erosion happens each year, there has been an accelerated rate of erosion at Thorpeness recently. Each coastal area has a Shoreline Management Plan, which identifies whether the coastline will be defended (known as ‘hold the line’), realigned or undefended. For Thorpeness, the guidance is for ‘managed realignment’ which means that where possible, measures might be permitted that slow erosion down, but not stop it. Therefore, we must look at how we can adapt to such risks.
“The results from the survey will inform our conversations with the community about what could be done to become more resilient to the risk of climate change.”
Take the survey at: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Thorpeness_Survey
The deadline for responses is Sunday 14 September.
The next steps following analysis of the survey results will be to hold a meeting with the community to share and discuss the results and begin to co-create an adaptation plan for the village.