As part of a £200 million government investment in its Flood & Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, a new scheme has been launched in North Norfolk - one of two priority areas chosen to pilot support programmes for communities at greatest risk from coastal erosion.
The Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP) will test and deliver innovative practical actions to support communities where coastal erosion is so severe it may not be possible to defend or mitigate against it. The learning from the programme - which will be delivered in partnership with North Norfolk District Council - will be shared with other areas to benefit more communities, inform future national policy, and deliver economic, social, and environmental outcomes as part of the 'Levelling Up' agenda.
Rebecca Pow (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Dept for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Duncan Baker MP visited Happisburgh on Thursday to meet officers and councillors from North Norfolk District Council, see first-hand the challenges faced, and discuss CTAP in more detail.
Over the next few years, the government will spend £5.2 billion on protecting communities at risk from flooding, with 17% of the money being spent helping villages like Happisburgh.
Duncan Baker said:
We love our environment. We love our coastline - 50 odd miles of it in this beautiful constituency. It's wonderful that we're being supported here by the Minister, bringing money, and bringing hope for all of the communities around here. We are fighting for them.
