A giant sand dune is being built on England’s east coast to save 400 homes from storm surges, according to Reuters

Engineers said that this is the first occasion ‘sandscaping’ has been used in the UK to mitigate the effects of climate change. Roughly 1.8 million cubic metres of sand are being dredged and pumped from a nearby seabed and positioned on the shore by bulldozers, to create a solid protection and delay a diminishing coastline, according to North Norfolk District Council. Royal Haskoning DHV, the Dutch engineering firm that designed the scheme, is set to finish the project later this month.

It has emphasised that this will only buy Norfolk residents an extra 20 to 30 years before they will likely need to be relocated. If successful, the sand dune project near Bacton and Walcott beaches, which has cost £18 million, is set to inspire many more sandscape defences across Britain. It will also protect nearby Bacton Gas Terminal, which processes one-third of the country’s gas.

The Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), said it was committed to defending the coastline where it is sustainable and affordable to do so, and to let the coast function naturally in areas where it is not. It has committed to providing £2.6 billion over six years, to better protect 300,000 homes.

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? Reuters - 'Sandscaping' first for UK in bid to save coastal homes