A £15m project is underway to help the East Riding cope with coastal erosion.
The Changing Coasts East Riding (CCER) scheme is looking at how the area can adapt to live with erosion rather than trying to prevent it.
The council's Coastal Change manager - Richard Jackson says most of the £15m of government funding allocated to the project will be used to replace community facilities that are lost to coastal erosion.
Richard Jackson says that as well as relocating community assets like car parks that could be lost, the project could also include building replacement homes.
The overarching aim of CCER is to establish sustainable approaches to the long-term transition of communities and assets away from coastal erosion risk, while delivering the practical on-the-ground transition of community assets.
Since August, the CCER project team, has been engaging with communities to raise awareness of the project and to gather initial feedback on where they think the project can provide the most benefit. As part of this, a series of drop- in sessions were held in coastal communities in autumn 2023. These sessions were attended by over 100 residents, who told the team about how erosion was impacting their area and how the project could address these issues. Key themes which arose across the drop-in sessions were a lack of rural beach access, the need for additional housing in coastal settlements and concerns around the long-term risks to key transport routes.
Alongside engagement, work has begun on early practical transition actions. This includes utilising Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) monies to undertake a feasibility study looking at options for the replacement of the at-risk car park and toilet block at Mappleton. The study is also considering options for the provision of a community / classroom space as part of a wider project. This feasibility study is due to be completed by the end of March. Discussions have also begun regarding potential small-scale social housing schemes in coastal settlements, which the CCER project could help to facilitate.
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