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Home on edge of cliff sells for 'just under £10k'

Andrew Turner
BBC News, Norfolk
Reporting fromThe Marrams, Hemsby
Andrew Turner/BBC A house, clad in plastic shiplap cladding, with upvc windows. A wooden deck is built outside the house, and there is a staircase up the garden, with a wooden hand rail. Hedges and shrubs are visible around the propertyAndrew Turner/BBC
The house at The Marrams attracted 96 inquiries and 28 viewings, resulting in a sale being agreed

A chalet at risk of falling off a cliff has been snapped up by a keen buyer, despite its limited lifespan.

The timber-framed white property is just feet from the sea at the Marrams in Hemsby, Norfolk - an area that is badly affected by coastal erosion.

It went on the market for offers in excess of £10,000, with the agent saying a sale was agreed for just under this price.

Neighbour Carol Boyes, who bought her home with her late husband 23 years ago, said: "My way of looking at it is if you get a few years out of it, it's worth it; it's paid for itself in that time."

Minor&Brady/Rightmove A screen grab of a Rightmove page, showing the house at The Marrams, and featuring some details of the agent Minors and Brady, and the guide price of offers above £10,000.Minor&Brady/Rightmove
The house was advertised at offers over £10,000 and has been sold subject to contract
Andrew Turner/BBC A house is shown in a ruined state, having fallen from a cliff in Hemsby. The roof is partially off and the house itself is resting at a 45 degree angle on sandAndrew Turner/BBC
Several houses in Hemsby have already been lost to coastal erosion

Since 2013 more than 25 homes have been demolished or collapsed into the sea as storm damage eroded the sandy cliffs.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has identified 30 homes at risk over the next few years, with some residents predicting they have between one and five years before their wooden houses are at imminent risk.

Speaking about the new owner of the sold chalet, Mrs Boyes said: "If they get three years out of it, or longer, it's better than nothing.

"[If] it's being used, it's being looked after and it's not going to rack and ruin."

Andrew Turner/BBC Carol Boyes has medium length white hair. She is wearing a blue vest top, and has her right hand on the garden fence. Behind her is more fencing, her house to the right of the image, and the sea visible to the left.Andrew Turner/BBC
Carol Boyes said she wished the owners luck and hoped they would enjoy the house for as long as it stands
Andrew Turner/BBC Simon Measures, standing with his arms folded across his chest, standing on the cliff in his garden at The Marrams in Hemsby. With medium length greying hair, he is wearing a patterned polo shirt, and behind him is Hemsby beach and parts of the cliff with debris left by erosion.Andrew Turner/BBC
Simon Measures of Save Hemsby Coastline said the sum would not be sufficient for a deposit on an alternative house.

Simon Measures, who lives nearby, said the property had been rented to holidaymakers for about five years before being put on the market.

He said: "I'm very pleased for the owner of the property, they've managed to sell it and the potential buyers have bought it on the understanding that it's potentially just a holiday let for a very short period of time.

"As long as they're happy, it's not their main residence and they haven't sunk all their money into it, it's a great place to be."

As chairman of Save Hemsby Coastline, a charity that has campaigned for rock defences and compensation for residents affected by coastal erosion, he said the sale might offer limited hope to full-time residents fearful of losing their homes.

He added: "It does give some hope to residents who live here that there is some equity [in their properties], but it is easier to sell as a holiday home rather than a main home.

"If we could walk away with £10,000, it's still not enough for most residents here to get a deposit on somewhere else to live, and £10,000 to £15,000 would cover rent for just over a year, and then what?

"It's bleak for people who live here, many of whom are retired, and have no idea where they're going to go."

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