The Environment Agency updates the National Coastal Erosion Risk Map and the New National Flood Risk Assessment

Date published: 28th January 2025

The Environment Agency has updated the National Coastal Erosion Risk Map (NCERM) for the UK, showing the erosion risk areas in North Norfolk and the rest of the UK, using climate change as one of the factors with sea level rise scenarios.

The last update to NCERM was in 2017, and the new NCERM2 maps use the best available evidence and data to provide the most up-to-date national picture of current and future coastal erosion risk with different scenarios in the UK.

At the same time, the Environment Agency has created a new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA), providing a single picture of current and future flood risks from England's rivers, seas and surface water.

The new NaFRA map shows areas at risk of flooding and provides data on the depth of flooding to better understand the potential flood hazard. The new map shows potential flood risk in areas of North Norfolk, which the Council is working with Norfolk County Council as the Local Flood Authority to help better understand.

The new NCERM2 map shows areas at risk of coastal erosion up to 2105. This data shows a scenario where the policies of the Shoreline Management Plan are delivered and a worst-case scenario where the Shoreline Management Plans are not delivered and no future investment is made to manage coastal erosion. The present erosion rate can also be viewed alongside future climate change scenarios, including sea level rise.

North Norfolk District Council has already been using the Shoreline Management Plans and previous NCERM data to help manage the coast.

In North Norfolk, the new NCERM2 risk maps, like previous erosion risk maps, indicate that many residential and commercial properties could be affected by erosion. Under climate change scenarios, erosion is increasing. The level of erosion impacts in North Norfolk highlights the need for projects such as Coastwise so that we can better prepare and adopt more options to help those communities impacted by coastal erosion.

The Council has been working with and will continue to work with the Environment Agency and the national government to maintain sea defences and work with coastal communities to seek to develop support for those impacted.

Recent coastal projects include the Pathfinder project (2010-2012), Sandscaping (2019), the Cromer and Mundesley Coastal Management Schemes (2024-2025) and Coastwise (2022-2027).

The Cromer and Mundesley Coastal Management Schemes involved repairing existing sea defences to help protect properties in both locations.

Coastwise is exploring how coastal communities can adapt to the effects of erosion and climate change along a section of the North Norfolk coastline and will help the government plan how to support communities impacted by erosion. The new NERCM2 data allows everyone to better understand the impacts of coastal erosion in the future.

Cllr Harry Blathwayt, portfolio holder for Coast, said:

"NCERM2 and NaFRA help highlight that coastal erosion and flooding in our district are national issues which are accelerating with climate change. We need to protect our coast and inland waterways where we can, but for those communities where erosion is happening and, unfortunately, will continue to happen, projects such as Coastwise can help the government learn how to best respond and help those in need."

To look at the NCERM2 and NaFRA data for North Norfolk and around the rest of the UK, you can find out more here - Check coastal erosion risk for an area in England - GOV.UK and Check the long term flood risk for an area in England - GOV.UK