A historic coastal landmark in Norfolk is not in danger of falling into the sea any time soon, despite work beginning to relocate a nearby car park affected by coastal erosion, a councillor has said.
Construction has started to move the pay-and-display car park next to Happisburgh Lighthouse after erosion was identified near the cliff-edge entrance.
Harry Blathwayt, North Norfolk District Council’s portfolio holder for the coast, said expert assessments indicated the lighthouse should remain safe for at least the next 30 years.
The councillor explained that the lighthouse, which was built in 1791, sits on a different and more stable land structure than the surrounding area, meaning it is not at immediate risk.
“It’s on higher land, there’s a different land structure underneath it, so we should be OK there,” he said, citing current mapping provided by the Environment Agency.
The existing car park was moved to its present cliff-edge location in 2011, but Blathwayt said the pace of land loss had accelerated beyond expectations.
“I would have hoped it would have lasted longer than 15 years,” he said, describing the erosion as “a more dynamic situation”.
Despite the relocation, Blathwayt stressed that maintaining a car park in the village was vital for the local community.
The replacement car park will be built further inland, behind a row of houses, with the council aiming to keep the current facility open until the new site is completed.
The project forms part of a £200m coastal resilience programme funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and managed by the Environment Agency.
As part of the works, the village toilet block and play park will also be moved and reused at the new location.
Happisburgh Lighthouse, the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia, stands 26 metres (85 feet) tall and is owned and operated independently, relying on voluntary contributions to remain operational.
