SWNS_COASTAL_EROSION_004.jpg (Image: undefined)
Residents in a Kent village have witnessed property values crash by as much as £600k amid concerns their homes could be swept away as coastal defences deteriorate.
Faversham Road in Seasalter, near Whitstable, has become dominated by estate agents’ boards as locals seek to flee the advancing waters.
Homeowners are scrambling to sell after the Environmental Agency revealed it will start reducing protections for the road, moving them further inland over the coming decades.
Approximately 65 homes along the 1.4-mile stretch are positioned on the ocean side and beyond the primary flood barriers, vulnerable to even moderate weather conditions.
Alex West, 33, has been frequenting his waterfront family residence in Seasalter since childhood, as the dwelling was initially purchased by his grandfather.
The street is set to be abandoned to the sea (Image: SWNS)
He explains that his father took ownership of the home following his grandfather’s death and attempted to sell, but regardless of how dramatically he reduced the asking price, no buyers emerged.
Alex maintains the home was initially worth £700,000 and the cost was slashed down to £100,000 before his relative finally agreed to purchase it.
The household has attempted constructing their own temporary barriers, yet they report that waves continue to strike their windows on a regular basis.
Alex said: “Things are only getting worse because the defences are falling down. I think the council just doesn’t want anything to do with it.
“When my grandad was here, he had to change the sea defences at least five times. We are now having to do it even more regularly.
“We looked at getting it done professionally but they quoted us £100,000. Our wall is already falling down, and it was only built six years ago.
Residents are upset with the council (Image: SWNS)
“We keep having waves crashing onto the glass windows at the back of the house. It feels like you are on a boat.
“My dad tried to sell it and kept reducing the price but nobody would buy it. You can’t get a mortgage on these, so you need to be a cash buyer.
“Now next-door are trying to sell so I don’t know how they will get on.”
Another long-term resident of 19 years, who preferred to stay unnamed, revealed they were worried about what lies ahead but cherished their property too deeply to consider relocating.
She explained: “We are concerned about it. Since we have been here people have had to build their own sea defences. You can really notice when the tide comes in on that side.
“I bought this house with my husband, and we renovated it together before he passed away, so I can never move, its too sentimental.
“Years ago people used to come in and replace the shingle to help, but they don’t anymore. I think that the council need to be doing more. It feels like we have been abandoned.
“Everyone on this side lives here permanently. We are the front line when the tide comes in.”
Nevertheless, not all residents shared these fears about their property’s future, with several stating that such challenges come with the territory when purchasing a coastal home. An anonymous resident, who has lived in the area for two years, stated: “There is a higher risk of flooding in this area because you have the sea on one side and salt marshes on the other.
“We love it, and there hasn’t been a flood since 1953. I am an adult and I know that I live by the sea. It is a lovely place to live. I don’t know anyone here who doesn’t love it.
“All the sea defences here were put up by individuals. Everyone has been very proactive.”
Residents put up the flood defences (Image: SWNS)
Councillor Naomi Smith, representing Seasalter at Canterbury City Council, warns that a significant storm could obliterate several homes and, within a few years, part of the street could disappear.
She expressed: “People are concerned, but the Environmental Agency are going to protect the sea defences which are behind these houses.
“It is a real worry for the residents and businesses down there. It just gets worse each year.
“If there was a massive storm it would take out at least the first few houses. It would have to be a big storm but it is more likely than not within the next 20 years.
“I have been told that part of Faversham Road will be gone in a matter of years. The rest will be an island.
The council defended itself against the claims (Image: SWNS)
“The only solution would cost a huge amount of money and it would be a big tall sea wall so it would stop everyone from being able to see sea. And I just don’t think the Environmental Agency has got the funds for it.
“Our responsibility at the council is to make people safe and respond in an emergency.”
Ward councillor Charlotte Cornell, who also represents Seasalter, says that she is making sure residents are aware of evacuation procedures just in case.
She said: “It is really sad that people’s homes are under threat.
“Over the last few years, many families have come to us asking whether the government or the Environment Agency can do more to safeguard properties that, in some cases, have been in their families for generations.
The sea is getting closer to homes (Image: SWNS)
“These are special places, and we understand that living in such a beautiful environment comes with risks as well as pleasures.
“We have been working closely with the Environment Agency, the Harbour Board in Whitstable, and officers at the local council to make sure residents are aware of disaster protocols and evacuation procedures and we will continue to do so.”
The Environment Agency has emphasised that the affected properties are situated beyond their clay seawall, which they maintain is in “good condition.”
However, the authority informed KentOnline that from 2055 onwards, the following five decades until 2115 will witness the agency transitioning towards a strategy called “managed realignment”.
This approach will involve abandoning the existing coastal defences and allowing the sea to advance inland to a new defensive boundary that has yet to be precisely determined.