FAQS: Cromer Coastal Management Scheme Phase 2

The work will be completed at Cromer by winter 2024. However, the Runton Road car park work site will stay in place until summer 2025 to help with the work at Mundesley.

Work will take place between 7am and 6pm. However, some parts of the work, such as rock delivery and placement, will need to be done outside these hours due to tidal constraints.

The total budget is £25 million for Cromer and Mundesley combined. A Government grant from the Environment Agency will meet the cost.

The rock comes from Glensanda quarry, located in west Scotland.

There are three grades of rock.

• 15kg to 300kg with an average diameter of 0.4 metres
• 300kg to 1,000kg with an average diameter of 0.7 metres
• 3,000kg to 6,000kg with an average diameter of 1.2 metres

It's going on the beach in front of the seawall, from Cromer Pier to approximately in line with the bottom of Melbourne Slope.

It is designed to take the energy out of the waves, preventing cobbles and waves from being launched over the sea wall. This will preserve the life of the seawall and protect the assets and cliffs behind it along the promenade. It will also reduce flooding and debris along the promenade.

Rock is delivered at every high tide, depending on the weather.

The big hole is to construct the rock revetment. At its deepest point, it is around 4.5 metres deep.

The cross-section shows the estimated size of the revetment.

A big boat delivers the rock to a transhipment zone three nautical miles offshore. Part of the boat's load is unloaded onto a barge. The barge comes into the shore during high tide, and the rock is dropped onto the foreshore. When the tide goes out, the rock is recovered using the excavators and dumpers and sorted into the different stockpile locations on the beach.

The plant size is based on weight. The dumpers are 40 tonnes, and the excavators are 50 tonnes, which is between four and five double-decker buses!

The barges will come in at high water and offload the rock. As the tide starts to recede, the barge will leave. They will not ground on the beach.

The black membrane is a very strong geotextile. It is designed to prevent the rocks from sinking into the beach over time and to prevent fine beach material from entering the rock structure, which would reduce its effectiveness.

When the rock is placed and moved, parts of it can shatter and send flying shards. The barriers prevent people from looking over at the point of placement.

The vast majority of the car park will be open for the duration of the work.

For health and safety reasons, some localised beach closures will be necessary while the rock is being unloaded. The rock deliveries will be done at high tide and then moved into place. Signs and traffic marshals will direct members of the public to safe locations to watch the rock delivery.

Slope stabilisation work is part of the North Norfolk District Council repair and maintenance programme.

Yes, they will be located on the promenade to help with the work or to store materials and plants. The main compounds on the promenade will be the far western promenade and by the Fisherman's Ramp (East Beach). These are subject to change and other areas may be occupied. 

Yes, occasionally. There will be localised closures whilst delivery and the placement of rock are happening.

With projects like this, you often find things of archaeological interest, but so far, we have not found anything.

Yes, the rocks are to be placed to reduce cliff erosion in this area, but access to the beach will remain once the rock is in place.

The main purpose of the rock is to take energy out of waves, which will help keep sediment (sand and shingle) longer. Beach levels should remain more stable.