'My village is sliding into the sea and my house could be gone by Christmas'
SWNS
2023-12-04
Views 822
A heartbroken mum fears her cliff-top home may fall into the sea by Christmas - after 26ft (8m) of land was swept away in just a MONTH.
Nicola Bayless’s three-bed semi in Happisburgh is now less than 50ft (15m) from the cliff after storms Babet and Ciaran ravaged the Norfolk coast in the autumn.
And she worries her family’s £375,000 property may be gone by the end of December as the village teeters on the edge.
Nicola, 48, said: “We haven’t even got into winter, but as we’ve lost that much, we could be forced to leave in springtime or even before Christmas. It’s frightening.”
Her late parents, Anita and Arthur Richmond, originally bought Beacon House in 2001 when it was over 670ft (200m) away from the cliff's edge.
They knew the property, which sat among homes on Beach Road, wouldn’t be around forever as the government decided not to upgrade local sea defences.
But since then, the sea has carved out huge swaths of the “cream cheese” like coastline, forcing dozens of locals to abandon their luxury properties.
And Nicola, who moved into the property seven years ago, now fears her 'worthless' home could become uninhabitable in just a few months.
The nurse said: “It’s heartbreaking and it’s frightening if you let it take over your mind, it can get you down mentally.
“I’m not choosing to go and find somewhere new. it’s something I’m being forced to do. I would stay here forever, but I’m not going to put myself at risk.
"After Babet, four metres was gone. Then it was another two meres after Ciarán. But more has gone since then. So you’re talking, in a month, seven to eight metres.
“We used to have Christmas light competitions with our neighbours - how many lights you could get on your home. It looked like Las Vegas at the bottom of the road.
“It makes you sad that village life is disappearing as well.”
Nicola said she had holidayed in the idyllic Happisburgh area, famed for its red and white striped lighthouses, with her parents during the 1980s and 1990s.
And during one of these memorable trips, they "fell in love" with Beacon House, which they went on to buy for £76,000 over 20 years ago.
Mum of two Nicola said her parents gave her the home in 2016 when she started a family, while they moved into her nearby terraced home and later to a bungalow.
And they had believed the property, which has a huge 50m (164ft) back garden and an annexe, would later be passed onto their grandchildred.
But Nicola said the couple would be shocked if they could see the devastating loss of land that has taken place in the five years since their deaths.
She said: “My parents had said ‘It will see you out, it will see your kids out.’
“On the survey, they were told they had 150 years before the cliff would meet the house. That was quite believable because of where it was.
“But they’ve only been gone five years and in that time, you wouldn’t believe how much has gone.
Nicola Bayless’s three-bed semi in Happisburgh is now less than 50ft (15m) from the cliff after storms Babet and Ciaran ravaged the Norfolk coast in the autumn.
And she worries her family’s £375,000 property may be gone by the end of December as the village teeters on the edge.
Nicola, 48, said: “We haven’t even got into winter, but as we’ve lost that much, we could be forced to leave in springtime or even before Christmas. It’s frightening.”
Her late parents, Anita and Arthur Richmond, originally bought Beacon House in 2001 when it was over 670ft (200m) away from the cliff's edge.
They knew the property, which sat among homes on Beach Road, wouldn’t be around forever as the government decided not to upgrade local sea defences.
But since then, the sea has carved out huge swaths of the “cream cheese” like coastline, forcing dozens of locals to abandon their luxury properties.
And Nicola, who moved into the property seven years ago, now fears her 'worthless' home could become uninhabitable in just a few months.
The nurse said: “It’s heartbreaking and it’s frightening if you let it take over your mind, it can get you down mentally.
“I’m not choosing to go and find somewhere new. it’s something I’m being forced to do. I would stay here forever, but I’m not going to put myself at risk.
"After Babet, four metres was gone. Then it was another two meres after Ciarán. But more has gone since then. So you’re talking, in a month, seven to eight metres.
“We used to have Christmas light competitions with our neighbours - how many lights you could get on your home. It looked like Las Vegas at the bottom of the road.
“It makes you sad that village life is disappearing as well.”
Nicola said she had holidayed in the idyllic Happisburgh area, famed for its red and white striped lighthouses, with her parents during the 1980s and 1990s.
And during one of these memorable trips, they "fell in love" with Beacon House, which they went on to buy for £76,000 over 20 years ago.
Mum of two Nicola said her parents gave her the home in 2016 when she started a family, while they moved into her nearby terraced home and later to a bungalow.
And they had believed the property, which has a huge 50m (164ft) back garden and an annexe, would later be passed onto their grandchildred.
But Nicola said the couple would be shocked if they could see the devastating loss of land that has taken place in the five years since their deaths.
She said: “My parents had said ‘It will see you out, it will see your kids out.’
“On the survey, they were told they had 150 years before the cliff would meet the house. That was quite believable because of where it was.
“But they’ve only been gone five years and in that time, you wouldn’t believe how much has gone.
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