Imagine securing a three-bedroom clifftop property in Norfolk for just £125,000, with direct access to a stunning sandy beach. For many, it sounds like the ultimate bargain. But this dream scenario in the village of Hemsby is fast becoming a nightmare, as the very ground beneath these homes is disappearing into the North Sea.
A Village on the Brink
Hemsby, a quintessential British seaside resort that proudly claims 1,200 years of history, is now fighting for its future. The village, home to approximately 3,000 people, is experiencing severe coastal erosion, with properties being abandoned as the cliffs they stand on crumble away. A recent report from the climate group One Home delivered a stark warning: coastal homes in England worth £584 million could be lost to cliff collapses by the year 2100.
Nowhere is this more evident than on Fakes Road, where residents have endured the grim spectacle of watching their neighbours' homes vanish one by one. The sea claims everything in its path—homes, mortgages, and livelihoods—with what can only be described as remorseless efficiency.
The New Residents Gambling on the Coast
Given the well-publicised risk, why would anyone choose to buy property here? Meet Martin Wiggins, 70, a retiree who purchased his light-blue bungalow on Fakes Road just two months ago for £125,000. Having returned from nine years in France seeking a change, Martin and his partner used their savings, as mortgages are impossible to secure on the road.
His retirement home now sits just yards from the precipice. With a touch of gallows humour, Martin has hung two pieces of plaster wood by his front door, which he jokes he 'touches for good luck' every time he leaves. His backyard view is a chilling preview of his investment's potential fate: a vandalised, rotting shack that was once someone's home, soon to be consumed by the waves.
Martin admits his awareness of the erosion was limited. 'We knew a bit,' he confesses, 'but we were thinking "ok, they might sort it out whatever". The people we bought it from sort of said it’s a lottery.'
Plummeting Values and Precarious Lives
The property market on Fakes Road and the nearby Marrams is in freefall. Home values are entirely subjective, with some desperate owners selling stunning 1920s-built houses for as little as £9,000. Martin is not the only new arrival; another property on Fakes Road sold for £238,000 in August, and its value has already dropped by £6,000, according to property aggregator TheMoveMarket. Other residents have reported losses of up to £60,000.
Simon and Geneve Measures, who bought their 1920s beach hut in 2021 for £190,000, represent another face of the crisis. Simon, the chairman of the campaign group Save Hemsby Coastline, now realises his initial research was optimistic. 'We were told it was about a metre a year,' he says, 'but we don't speak in years here. We measure in storms. Just this week we have lost a meter and a half in our front garden.'
With two dogs and a cat, renting is not a feasible option. Their contingency plan is a caravan, but they acknowledge they might only have a 'couple of years' left. Despite the dire situation, Simon does not believe it is morally wrong to buy and sell property in the area, having even advised a prospective buyer on a £9,000 home, framing it as a cost-effective alternative to seasonal beach hut rentals.
The situation is underscored by a terrifying map from Canadian researchers, showing that large parts of Hemsby and nearby Great Yarmouth will be permanently underwater with a projected 1.6 feet of sea level rise. For the residents of Hemsby, the reality of climate change is not a future threat but a present-day battle, fought one storm at a time.
