Gorleston Beach with Reefs !!!
Do you want this ??????
This aerial photograph was taken of the beach at Sea Palling in 1998 by Michael Page and is shown with his kind permission. This beach has changed little since 1998.
Do not be deceived by Great Yarmouth Borough Council's assertion that the design of the "Reefs" at Sea Palling is different to that which would be employed on Gorleston Beach. The only difference is if "Reefs" were to be built at Gorleston they would be much closer to the Sea Wall than at Sea Palling, so in that respect GYBC are correct.
The first observation of the aerial photograph shows that the "Reefs" at Sea Palling have not been positioned correctly. Had they been built parallel to the sea wall the beach building process would have occurred along the whole beach rather than just the northern end. This picture also shows that positioning of the "Reefs" is critical. If they are positioned just a few feet too far from the beach then the beach build up is significantly reduced.
This leads to the question just what effect have the "Reefs" had on the beach at Sea Palling? Well, looking at the beach areas to the north and south of the "Reefs", it would seem the beach was always wider in the south than the north.
It can be seen that the areas of beach directly opposite the gaps in the "Reef" are not much wider than the unprotected beach to the south of the "Reefs". Since the gaps in the "Reef" are the same length as the "Reef" it is plain that, from the way sand is deposited on the beach, only half the sea wall is protected. In the event of rises in sea level "Reefs" may not be effective in preventing sea wall collapse. In fact they may exacerbate the situation by funnelling more powerful tidal surges through the gaps, up the beach to the sea wall!!.
Could it be that the only function of the "Reefs" is to allay peoples fears of flooding while providing very little real protection to the sea wall - their real defence against flooding.
The aim of "Reefs" is to facilitate a build up of sand on the beach, thus preventing undermining of the sea wall and consequent collapse.
These photos, taken in September 2005, are of the "Reefs" at Sea Palling.
As you can see from these photographs it wil be possible to walk out to The "Reefs". This obviously will be a major concern to parents of young children. This would be more likely to happen on Gorleston Beach as there are many more people using the beach.
At high tide The "Reefs" will be submerged thus creating another safety hazard particularly to Surfers, not that there are too many of those at Gorleston.
One thing that strikes the viewer of the "Reefs" at Sea Palling is their sheer size. It is obvious to all that once they are built they will be a fixture for a very long time. Halcrow the consultants employed on this project by GYBC and paid for by us the "taxpayer" give the "Reefs" a minimum life expectancy of fifty years.
Bearing in mind the "Reefs" will cost around 4 million pounds to install, money by the way GYBC do not have, it does seem a little disingenuous of Councillor Bert Collins to say they can be removed if once installed they are proven not to work.