Erosion of the coast: Communities are warned about the cost by a climate group.

A group fighting climate change asserted that by 2100, coastal homes worth an estimated £584 million could be lost to the sea.

One Home compiled a map that identified 21 at-risk hamlets and villages throughout England.

It warned coastal residents that protection and compensation might not exist at all.

Angela Terry, CEO of One Home, stated, “We urgently need to help seaside communities prepare for the damage that will come.”

On its interactive map, the organisation stated that 2,218 properties were at risk in Cumbria, Cornwall, and along the south and east coasts.

It made use of information from the NCERM dataset from the Environment Agency.

The One Home stated that although shoreline management plans (SMPs) contained guidelines regarding whether portions of the coast should be protected, retreated, or abandoned, SMPs were not a guarantee of support.

The possibility of storm damage was taking “a huge toll on the mental health” of locals, according to Save Hemsby Coastline’s Ian Brennan.

He stated that the Norfolk village could lose more than 90 homes in the next 25 years if nothing was done.

Ms Terry said: “Sea levels are rising as global temperatures soar and so larger waves batter our coast during severe storms.

“These irreversible changes mean some cliff faces are crumbling fast.

“We can’t turn the tide or build a wall around the entire coast so we urgently need to help seaside communities to prepare for the damage that will come.

“Shoreline management plans are publicly available documents but most people are unaware of their existence.”

She said that the map would provide an “easy-to-digest explanation” of SMPs because homeowners might not be aware that their property was in danger or that decisions were being made about it.

“Even where communities have been chosen to be saved, the money might not be there, giving people false hope that their home will be protected long term,” she said.

“Owners might be asked to pay to demolish their homes while still paying their mortgage.”

One Home stated that the designation of “no active intervention” for more than a third of England’s coastline indicates that nothing additional will be done to protect against erosion.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “We know the devastating impact that flooding and coastal change can have, which is why improving the resilience of people and communities is our top priority.

“From 2015 to 2021, we invested £1.2bn to better protect around 200,000 homes from coastal erosion and sea flooding.

“However, climate change means that our coast is changing at an accelerated rate, meaning in some places we and coastal authorities will need to help local communities adapt and transition away from the current coastline.”

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