The House of Commons cross-party Environment Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has published a new report laying bare the human cost of coastal erosion as households and businesses face bankruptcy and displacement.

The report makes recommendations to the Government on practical ways to help people with issues around insurance, demolition costs and relocation. It also criticises the lack of requirement to inform home buyers of the risk of their home falling into the sea, and calls for changes to make it mandatory for conveyancers and estate agents to do so.

Levels of anxiety are higher among affected communities, according to the Environment Agency.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said its at-risk communities have higher levels of deprivation, with local people less able to adapt.

North Norfolk Council said a source of great distress for residents is the threat of four graveyards crumbling away. A local school with 193 pupils is also threatened.

In terms of geographical threats posed by coastal erosion, the Environment Agency predicts that, within 80 years, more than 10,000 properties could be destroyed, along with over 180km of road and 6km of railway.

The summary of the report’s main recommendations includes:

Human cost of coastal erosion

The Committee concludes that broader human and social impacts of coastal erosion, particularly in underprivileged seaside communities, are not fully recognised. These include harm to people’s wellbeing, deepening inequalities, increased isolation and loss of cohesion.

Recommendation: The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) should set out how it recognises and incorporates the full range of human impacts of coastal erosion into policy development and funding decisions, including clear actions or criteria for doing so. It should also provide a defined approach to community engagement that details how affected individuals and communities will be identified, involved, and consulted throughout coastal management policy-making.

Conveyancing regulatory gap

MPs heard that conveyancing processes do not adequately inform buyers of risks from coastal erosion. The Environment Agency expressed frustration that buyers are often not made aware of online tools it provides to help people understand local risks and how they are managed – the National Coastal Erosion Risk Map (NCERM) and the Digital Shoreline Management Plan Explorer Tool. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 it is an offence to omit material information from property listings, but there is no prescribed list of what constitutes material information in different types of transaction.

Recommendation: Coastal erosion and landslide risk should be included as material information in conveyancing, and the Government NCERM website should be signposted. The conveyancing profession should be required to inform prospective buyers if a home falls within the risk zone in any of the scenarios projected in the NCERM. Guidance should also consider the surrounding area of the property, and wider potential impacts such as access and utilities, and the availability of insurance and mortgage products.

Replicate insurance scheme for flood-risk properties

There is a general lack of available insurance products for coastal erosion. The rationale given for this is that erosion is a virtual certainty and therefore can’t be insured. But this conflicts with insurance companies’ willingness to cover properties in areas affected by flooding in floodplains.

Recommendation: The Government should look to replicate its Flood Re scheme with insurance companies, introduced in 2016, and provide protection for properties at risk of coastal erosion or landslides.

Coastal Erosion Assistance Grants

Coastal Erosion Assistance Grants, introduced in 2010, offer homeowners up to £6,000 to help with demolition costs, But their value has never been uprated and are now a fraction of the cost of demolishing a property, which can range from £25,000 to £35,000. Some local authorities such as East Riding of Yorkshire have helped local homeowners cover this cost gap.

The grants are also only available to properties purchased before June 2009, a limit criticised due to the lack of communication around erosion risk in conveyancing, and changing erosion rates due to climate change.

Recommendation: By June 2026, DEFRA should launch a structured assessment of Coastal Erosion Assistance Grants, including whether the 2009-property purchase threshold, and grant value, remain justified. Evidence on historic and ongoing shortcomings in coastal-erosion risk communication, alongside updated projections of climate-driven changes in erosion, should be examined. DEFRA should then publish revised eligibility criteria by December 2026 and implement the updated criteria and grant value no later than April 2027.

Relocation schemes

DEFRA has been running several pilot schemes, some involving purchasing at-risk properties while also granting planning permissions to re-establish housing inland. Purchases at 40% of a property’s market value have previously been issued.

Recommendation: When these schemes conclude in 2027, DEFRA should establish a long-term national strategy that provides financial assistance and relocation support for properties. It should aim to have these policies in place no later than March 2027.

Coastal defences overlooked for investment

Investment programmes for flood and coastal risk management have failed to take into account the wider economic benefits of protecting coast lines, such as tourism, the long-term viability of coastal communities, and impacts on coastal industries such as energy. These programmes have also tended to favour investment in flood-risk areas. This is partly because flood defences tend to cost less than coastal defences.

Recommendation: Defra should provide a plan setting out how wider non-monetised benefits for coastal erosion projects will be incorporated into decision on how the reformed Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Investment Programme will allocate funding.

EFRA Committee Chair Alistair Carmichael MP said:

“Coastal erosion blights communities the length of this country and is a problem that will not go away. The testimony we heard from affected residents was deeply moving. Amid the prospect of losing their home and community, they deserve dignity, sympathy and, above all, practical help to move on with their lives.

“Previous governments have introduced policies to help households and businesses, but this has been done in a piecemeal way and some, like Assistance Grants, are no longer fit for purpose.

“The EFRA Committee now calls for a review of regulation around conveyancing and support offered to those at risk, particularly around insurance and relocation.”

Click here to download the report in full