Issue - meetings
Coastal Management - Budget for reactive coastal works
Meeting: 31/03/2025 - Cabinet (Item 40)
40 Coastal Management - Budget for reactive coastal works 
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Executive Summary |
The existing Coast Protection budget is for the maintenance and repair of coast protection assets. It is increasingly called upon to meet the costs of miscellaneous other coastal-related issues, as, at present there is no specific budget for such works. Cliff-related works includes both reactive works, as required following a cliff slip, such as closure of accesses, signage, etc, and planned works, such as maintenance of routes between the clifftop and the coastal defences below. When these works are required, identifying an appropriate budget can be time-consuming and subject to debate, as each service area already has its own tight budgetary constraints and these works often sit between assets which are the responsibility of Coastal Management, NNDC Assets, Property Services or Leisure Services.
This report proposes that a budget is established specifically for reactive works, which council services can request access to, but which sits within and is overseen by the Coastal Management team, which is where the technical expertise and oversight of such works resides.
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Options considered
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The following options have been considered: 1) The establishment of a dedicated reactive works budget, which rests with the Coastal Management team, but which is separate from any existing budgets. - This is the recommended option.
2) No specific budget is identified, and business continues as usual. - This option is not recommended as it will not facilitate effective timely responses to issues as they arise or provide clarity over budget position.
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Consultation(s) |
Portfolio Holder for Coast Director for Place and Climate Change CLT
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Recommendations
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Recommend to Council: The establishment of a dedicated cliff works budget, overseen by the Coastal Management department, and separate from any existing budgets.
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Reasons for recommendations
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By establishing a dedicated budget for cliff related works, the ambiguity surrounding remedial and emergency works is removed, allowing such issues to be addressed in a timely manner. This new budget provision, which any service area needing cliff related works completed can request access to, should be the responsibility of the Coastal Management team, due to the existing expertise within the team and better ability to align and co-ordinate any necessary spend. |
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Background papers
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N/A |
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Wards affected |
Coastal, Sheringham South, Sheringham North, Beeston Regis and The Runtons, Cromer Town, Suffield Park, Poppyland, Roughton, Mundesley, Bacton, Happisburgh |
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Cabinet member |
Cllr Blathwayt, Portfolio Holder for Coast |
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Contact Officers |
Tamzen Pope Coastal Engineering Manager Tamzen.pope@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Fiona Keenaghan Assistant Coastal Engineer |
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Wards affected |
Coastal, Sheringham South, Sheringham North, Beeston Regis and The Runtons, Cromer Town, Suffield Park, Poppyland, Roughton, Mundesley, Bacton, Happisburgh |
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Cabinet member |
Cllr Blathwayt, Portfolio Holder for Coast |
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Contact Officers |
Tamzen Pope Coastal Engineering Manager Tamzen.pope@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Fiona Keenaghan Assistant Coastal Engineer |
Decision:
Decision
RESOLVED to recommend to Full Council:
Recommend to Council:
The establishment of a dedicated cliff works budget (£125k), administered by the Coastal Management Team.
Reason for the decision:
By establishing a dedicated budget for cliff related works, the ambiguity surrounding remedial and emergency works is removed, allowing such issues to be addressed in a timely manner. This new budget provision, which any service area needing cliff related works completed can request access to, should be the responsibility of the Coastal Management team, due to the existing expertise within the team and better ability to align and co-ordinate any necessary spend
Minutes:
Cllr H Blathwayt, Portfolio Holder for Coast, introduced this item. He explained that the North Norfolk coast was very dynamic and unpredictable and when works were required, identifying an appropriate budget could be time-consuming and subject to debate, as each service area already had its own budgetary constraints and these works often sat between assets which were the responsibility of Coastal Management, NNDC Assets, Property Services or Leisure Services.
It was therefore proposed that a budget was established specifically for reactive works, which council services could request access to, but which sat within and was overseen by the Coastal Management team, which was where the technical expertise and oversight of such works resided.
The Chairman invited members to speak:
Cllr A Fitch-Tillett said that there was no central government fund for coastal maintenance and she urged the Portfolio Holder to continue to lobby for such funding via the Local Government Association Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Coast. Cllr Blathwayt confirmed that this was already being done.
Cllr L Shires, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates & Property Services said that it was a way of collating the money spent on reactive coastal works so that it could be monitored and the Coastal Team could respond quickly to any issues without having to locate funding.
It was proposed by Cllr H Blathwayt, seconded by Cllr L Shires and
RESOLVED to recommend to Full Council:
The establishment of a dedicated cliff works budget (£125k), administered by the Coastal Management Team.
Reason for the decision:
By establishing a dedicated budget for cliff related works, the ambiguity surrounding remedial and emergency works is removed, allowing such issues to be addressed in a timely manner. This new budget provision, which any service area needing cliff related works completed can request access to, should be the responsibility of the Coastal Management team, due to the existing expertise within the team and better ability to align and co-ordinate any necessary spend