A plea has gone out to north Norfolk landowners to earmark land for development for homeowners whose properties are at risk of coastal erosion.

The council wants to build a list of landowners with plots close to existing towns and villages who are interested in joining up with property owners under the roll back policy.

The policy allows homeowners to apply for planning permission on a new site, enabling them to rebuild elsewhere, or sell it on.

Angie Fitch-Tillet, north Norfolk district councillor for Poppyland, said the EN12 policy puts a value onto properties that could at any time become uninhabitable.

She said: 'We can't stop cliffs from crumbling – it is the nature of cliffs.

'But people are now aware they are not going to be left with nothing.

'If there are any land owners anywhere in the coastal villages who feel they have a plot or two, we would be pleased to hear from them.'

And Rob Goodliffe, Pathfinder project manager, said it enabled developers to build outside of existing settlement boundaries.

He said: 'There are lots of different applications and no one way of doing it.'

Property owners will partner up with landowners to apply for the planning permission, available to people whose homes are at risk within the next 20 years.

And nine homes were bought in Happisburgh by the district council under the policy, which hopes to sell the land on to a developer.

December's tidal surge has led to increased coastal erosion in some areas, causing many residents to be concerned about the future of their home.

Mrs Fitch-Tillet said at last week's North Norfolk District Council full council meeting: 'I have to remind everybody that this was a momentous event.

'It was bigger than the storm in 1953 which totally devastated this coast.

'This will, hopefully, not happen again in such an enormous way in the near future – even a spring tide will reach the base of the cliff.'

Selected settlements for development in north Norfolk are Cromer, Holt, Fakenham, North Walsham, Hoveton, Sheringham, Stalham, Wells-next-the-Sea, Aldborough, Briston and Melton Constable, Cat?eld, Corpusty and Saxthorpe, Horning, Little Snoring, Walsingham, Ludham, Roughton, Southrepps, Bacton, Blakeney, Happisburgh, Mundesley, Overstrand and Weybourne.

For more information visit www.northnorfolk.org/files/Leaflet_–_Planning_opportunities_FINAL_02_13.pdf.

Are you noticing the effects of coastal erosion near your home? Email sabah.meddings@archant.co.uk