Coastwise Cafes

In January and February 2024, the Coastwise project team held five Coastwise Cafés in North Norfolk to meet local people, share information and knowledge, and develop the next steps. 

What and where were the Coastwise Cafés?

The cafes took place in Trimingham, Walcott, Happisburgh, Sheringham and Overstrand. 

We created the cafes to enable people to explore coastal information, answer specific questions, contribute local knowledge, and engage in discussions with the project team. 

Coastwise Cafe at HappisburghMembers of the coastal team at a Coastwise Cafe at Happisburgh

About the events

Coastwise Cafés enabled the team to identify key areas of concern to help focus work priorities, future events, activities and actions and ultimately to develop coastal transition options.

People who attended the cafes contributed ideas about ways to engage in future events, such as drop-in events to provide updates and further input, newsletters, and more information on risk, policy and coastal processes, and potential adaptation options.

Coastwise CafesPeople who attended the Coastwise Cafes contributed ideas about ways to engage in future events.

Key issues for the community

housing

cliff-top water management

infrastructure

beach and road access

Key findings from the Cafes

Sheringham

In Sheringham, we heard from people in Weybourne, Beeston Regis, East and West Runton who were particularly interested in housing and financial options.

Overstrand

In Overstrand, key points were housing, roads and local connectivity, water management and drainage, options for nature-based solutions, and beach access and safety.

Trimingham

In Trimingham, there was a lot of discussion about water management and drainage, nature-based solutions, and the loss of the coast road. A local working group has since been established.

Walcott

In Walcott, people, including residents of Bacton, were interested in knowing more about financial options, insurance, and the future of the gas terminal.

Happisburgh

In Happisburgh, the key issues raised were housing, beach access, water management and drainage, heritage, particularly the church and graveyard and discussions around sea defences.

Reflections from the Cafes

The evaluation forms for the events showed a high level of satisfaction and identified a need and enthusiasm for ongoing face-to-face engagement and opportunities to get involved.  

People were interested in learning more about coastal processes, such as cliff dynamics, climate change and sea level rise, mapping erosion, and more.

The Coastwise Cafés generated a good source of data to get a feel for the sense of place and what is essential to local coastal communities.

The drop-in format provided a space to have interesting, sometimes challenging, conversations about the issues faced in some of North Norfolk’s coastal places and start looking toward options for the future.

Did you know?

Beaches are an essential part of limiting coastal erosion and protecting the coast.

It is important for cliffs to erode, as they create the materials for beaches which are the best form of coastal defence.

They also are great spaces for recreation and contribute to wellbeing.

Did you know?

Over time, sea levels worldwide have changed at different levels and rates in different places.

With climate change in many locations globally, relative sea levels are rising putting habitats, infrastructures and communities at increasing risk from the sea. In North Norfolk, the sea level is rising on average 4mm per year.

Did you know?

Cliffs with soft geology like silt and clay not only erode from the impacts of waves and tides.

They can also erode due to the natural build-up of groundwater in cliffs, especially after heavy rainfall. This build-up can create huge cliff slides.

Did you know?

The need to adapt due to coastal change is not new. People all around the world have been adapting for generations.

In some places, we’ve become reliant on engineering solutions, so we don’t see coastal change.

In some places, this may continue. In others, we need to learn how to adapt, as defending the entire coastline is impossible.

Did you know?

Beaches are dynamic and move from tide to tide, season to season. The sand may move out to sea, or it can move along the coast.

Anything we do along the coast, we need to work with these natural processes.

Resources and further information

Coastal maps

Downloads

Find out more