Council drops plans to replace homes lost to coastal erosion

In December the Government announced the East Riding Council would get 1.2m to aid people living on the fast-eroding East Coast. It is estimated around 30 houses could be lost to the sea in the next 20 years.

Two financial packages have now been drawn up and will be discussed by the council's cabinet on Tuesday.

But one option – helping home owners "roll back" their properties by getting a housing association to build new properties inland which could then be rented to them – has been dropped because of time constraints.

The Pathfinder money has to be spent by March 2011.

Under the proposals those whose homes are likely to be lost within a year will get the demolition costs paid for, and some financial assistance with relocation including 50 per cent of the first six months rent if moving into private accommodation.

Others whose homes are not at imminent risk have the option of selling their properties to the council at market value and then renting them back until they have to be demolished.

Some of those most at need of help, however, say the schemes do not offer what they need.

Colin Arnold, who has been left with a narrow strip of land at Ulrome, said what he and his wife Josephine been offered did not "hold out any hope at all".

When the Arnolds bought the house in 1988 for 10,000 they knew the land was eroding but they had not bargained for private defences being put up either side, which they blame for their strip of land being scoured away.

Four years ago they were forced to demolish part of their home to move into a caravan, which is now only eight metres from the sea, another 2.5 metres of land having slid into the sea since the New Year.

Mr Arnold said the buy and lease back scheme as originally conceived by Lord Smith, of the Environment Agency, could have provided a solution.

"I think the original concept of Lord Smith was pretty good but they are moving the goalposts of what he conceived.

"The barn conversion is left and it's still habitable by our criteria – it has all the services and there isn't anything to stop you living in it. The last property we looked at which was similar to ours cost 1,000 a month. Even if they paid 500 we couldn't afford the rent. I'd rather take my chances with the sea to be quite honest. "

The East Riding Council is one of a number of councils to have a won a share of 11m from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to address the problems caused by coastal erosion.

The report to the council's Cabinet stresses Pathfinder "does not seek to provide compensation for loss, but rather provide assistance to those who are seeking to adapt to the impacts of coastal change."

Decisions as to who gets help will be made by council director Alan Menzies and Coun Jonathan Owen, the council's deputy leader. Coun Owen said: "The Arnolds are in a genuine case of hardship and need and we are doing our best to help them.

"If people think it's straightforward compensation it's not that but it's a lot more than was available a few months ago."

The report says the main constraint on "rollback" was the time needed to find and buy a suitable plot and construct new homes given that Pathfinder funding ends in March 2011.

A breakdown of the council's planned spending says 550,000 would go on those whose homes are at higher risk; 400,000 on those at imminent risk, with 75,000 for support costs and fees; and another 175,000 for small grants and projects.