British rock star says parents’ home at risk over weakened sea defences

The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins has said his mother and father could lose their home because sea defences near Lowestoft are not due to be renewed.

The hard rock band was formed in Lowestoft in 2000 and reached number two in the UK singles chart three years later with ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love'.

Hawkins said in an Instagram post that he was back at home with his parents and had gone for a run along the Suffolk coast, during which “I was forbidden from going along the promenade as it’s been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair”.

“They’re not going to renew the sea defences apparently,” he said.

The rock star said it was a “bloody cheek” that defences were not being renewed and “residents of my beloved Corton are being encouraged to demolish their houses and go live somewhere else”.

Addressing his father in a video, Hawkins said: “Someone from the council came round and spoke to you, didn’t they dad?”

His father replied: “Yeah, they said ‘we advise you to knock your house down and clear off’ basically.”

Hawkins continued: “So, my 71-year-old and 83-year-old parents are now obliged to take a small plot of land in a different town and begin a building project which, that’s just not on.

“It’s a bloody cheek isn’t it, that’s what it is, I can’t stand it.”

“Here begins my transition into the Feargal Sharkey of coastal sea defences and I’m going to bombard your feed with outraged updates about this bloody awful piece of neglect,” he said.

An East Suffolk Council spokesperson said the authority closed a coastal footpath earlier this year for health and safety reasons.

The closure followed damage to the promenade between Baker’s Score and Tibbenham’s Score during last winter, the spokesperson said.

“The footpath runs over a coastal defence that was improved in 2003/4, extending its lifespan for an estimated 20 years,” the spokesperson said.

“Through our regular coastal monitoring, we have observed changes to the cliff in this location which indicates the defence is now reaching the end of its design life.

“The defences are beyond cost-effective repair through routine maintenance and would need to be replaced.

“We have previously investigated the possibility of a defence scheme, which in 2022 was costed at approximately £26 million.

“This cost would now be significantly higher.

“We may be eligible to claim Environment Agency funding for such a scheme, which we estimate would provide between £1.5 – £2 million.

“This leaves a funding gap of at least £25 million and we are simply unable to meet this shortfall.”

The council said it has been “engaging with residents and businesses who are located closest to the cliff edge to share the latest information and to support them as much as possible in planning for the future”.

“The homeowners have received early advice on preparedness for any possible demolition should erosion progress to a point where the property becomes unsafe,” the spokesperson said.

“When homeowners lose their home to erosion, they are eligible for a planning right for an equivalent plot elsewhere in the district if this is something they wish to consider.