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Council's £90k Bid to ‘Buy Time’ for Filey Residents Facing ‘Imminent’ Coastal Erosion

Wednesday, 9 April 2025 19:21

By Anttoni James Numminen, Local Democracy Reporter

North Yorkshire Council has decided to proceed with an application for £90,000 to ‘buy some time’ for residents living at Flat Cliffs near Filey before coastal erosion forces them to leave their properties.

As the 45 properties become “at imminent risk of loss” from coastal erosion, the council is hoping to get funding to deliver a coastal adaptation plan for the cliff-top hamlet.

The solution would be 

“a temporary one intended to ‘buy some time’ to allow the residents of the homes and Yorkshire Water to plan for adapting to climate change”.

The authority would help implement the 

“necessary relocation and removal activities for residents to withdraw themselves and their assets from the areas at risk”.

Speaking after a recent meeting which approved the application for for £90,000 from the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC), Coun Keane Duncan said: 

“Unfortunately, erosion remains a risk for some properties along North Yorkshire’s coast.

“We are monitoring vulnerable areas and actively seeking ways to support communities and individuals plan to manage the impacts of coastal erosion.

Coun Duncan, the executive member for highways and transportation whose responsibilities include coastal protection, added: 

“Our bid for £90,000 from the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee would allow us to develop a coastal adaptation plan and manage the predicted impacts of erosion.

“Should the committee support the funding bid, the money would be used to raise awareness of the risks of erosion and support those affected in planning for change.”

Officers have said that if the funding application is rejected, residents would be 

“unprepared for the loss of properties creating difficulties for the authority to manage the process when the time comes for residents to have to leave”.

They added that there would be a 

“significant mental health burden for residents becoming suddenly aware of the risks in an emergency situation, and with no forward plan for dealing with the risks, residents may be left feeling unsupported and isolated”.

North Yorkshire Council is responsible for managing coastal change in its area with a shoreline management plan which previously recommended ‘limited intervention prior to coastal adaptation’.

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