A Monthly Publication

By Edward Wheatley

The Civic Society is concerned about the natural erosion of the cliffs but in the same article they report that this unique landmark would be destroyed by becoming the southern end of probably the biggest man made monstrosity in the UK  -  The Wash Tidal Barrier.

              In the report of a recent meeting, the man behind the scheme, Peter Dawe comes across as an altruistic environmentalist, but to be fair, he describes himself as an “entrepreneur extraordinary” and lists over ten other businesses with which he is associated. I have no doubt that he and his company intends to benefit by several million pounds from the proposed £2 billion plus investment required.

 But the only ‘benefits’ for the residents of Hunstanton will be years of living on a mammoth building site followed by a transformed town dominated by the Barrier topped with wind turbines and incorporating huge sea locks.

 I can just see all the diggers: Portacabins, porta loos and piles of gravel piled on the Green. While the chaos and huge lorries along the A149 will make the Easter Sunday traffic look like a stroll in the park. What the effect on house values would be I leave to your imagination! I know the space was limited but why weren’t some of these social costs given to balance the list of so-called benefits of the scheme? Not to mention the strong objections by the RSPB: the destruction of a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a unique local natural asset.

 No doubt a promise of jobs will be given to sugar-coat the pill (it always is). But there won’t be many jobs for locals or even people from eastern England  -  like most construction projects no doubt much of the labour will come from Eastern Europe. As for a benefit for local businesses  -  well the hundreds of navvies might fill a few boarding house rooms left vacant by the loss of English visitors put off by the noise and mess, but what will they do in their leisure time.....?

 If it gets going, stopping this project will be almost impossible  -  no doubt it will be supported by our friends on the King’s Lynn Borough Council not to mention posh renewable energy lobbyists living miles away. The new planning laws completely emasculate local opinion, so what are the views of a few hundred of us compared with ‘green’ electricity for thousands?

 The best we can hope for is to have the southern end relocated down the coast  -  say to the empty area between Old Hunstanton and Thornham. (Sorry folks!) This might at least lessen the impact of the actual construction work, but for the rest....?  Parish Councils are now empowered to hold referendums. Isn’t this just the sort of thing that our Town Council should put to the vote?

 From what I have seen the end of the Barrier might literally end in my back garden. So call me a NIMBY if you like. But given the catastrophic short term and long term effects the Barrier will have on the Town any resident who is not a N.I.M.B.Y. is a F.O.O.L.