| 1. | The retrospective application is for new development outside the defined development limits and is not an accepted use within the Countryside. The development is also located within the designated Coastal Change Management Area, and is sited approximately 8m from the cliff edge. Notwithstanding the building's position approximately 4m further inland than the sheds it replaces, the proposed siting of the cabin building is nevertheless still located within the same coastal erosion risk epoch as the previous cabins / sheds were, which does not materially improve the risk to health or safety by lessening users' exposure to coastal erosion given the rapid rate of erosion being experienced along this stretch of the coastline.
Furthermore, the proposed intended use of the chalet-style cabin for occasional overnight accommodation creates an increased risk to the users of the land compared to that which existed previously as the now-removed sheds would not lend themselves to use for overnight accommodation. This is considered to increase the pressure to provide new or improved coastal defences, which is contrary to policy GSP4.
As such the retrospective development is exposed to significant potential risk of future coastal erosion and creates a requirement to provide future coastal erosion mitigation measures, as well as proposing an increased risk to life due to the site's position in close proximity to a rapidly eroding coastline. Furthermore, the application has not been supported by the submission of an appropriate Coastal Erosion Vulnerability Assessment for Category B developments as required by policy GSP4.
This directly contradicts Policy CS13(e) of the adopted Core Strategy (2015), and Policies GSP1 and GSP4 of the Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2021) as well as paragraphs 4.18 and 4.19 of the Coastal Adaptation Supplementary Planning Document (adopted October 2023) requiring replacement development to be built outside of the current short term coastal erosion risk zone, and is also contrary to paragraphs 184 and 185 of the National Planning Policy Framework and draft policy CLC1 of the Emerging Local Plan (examination version 2026). |