Select Committee on Agriculture Sixth Report


Annex

Letter to Norfolk Churches Trust Ltd from Strutt & Parker

THE CHURCH OF ST MARY HAPPISBURGH

  You haved asked us to give you a broad indication of the financial loss if the St Mary's Church, Happisburgh, were to be lost as a result of the encroachment of the sea.

  We do not intend to describe the building in detail, but have taken the liberty of enclosing a copy of a pamphlet, written by the late Reverend Charles L S Linnell, which was published in 1960.

  Whilst we are not quantity surveyors, in order to produce a broad indication of the cost of rebuilding the Church we have applied some of the same principles, cross-checking with other substantial buildings of merit within our experience.

  1.  We estimate that the cost of re-constructing the tower, on a fresh site, using traditional materials, would be in the order of £1,400,000 (one million four hundred thousand pounds).

  2.  We estimate that the cost of rebuilding the walls of the Church, including the internal columns and arches would cost in the order of £2,500,000 (two million five hundred thousand pounds).

  3.  We estimate that the cost of constructing and covering the roof would be in the order of £700,000 (seven hundred thousand pounds).

  4.  To excavate the foundations and lay the floor, (the current floor is a mixture of materials) we have allowed the sum of £900,000 (nine hundred thousand pounds).

  This gives a total sum of £5,500,000 (five million five hundred thousand pounds).

  We have ignored the value of internal fittings, including the bells, on the presumption that if the receding cliffs were within yards of the Church, the parishioners would remove such items, regardless of the requirements of the Diocese!

  During our inspection we reviewed the position of the sea defences. The late 1950s sea defences would seem to be obsolete. The damage inflicted by the sea last winter appears to have eroded the coastline by between six and, in the worst case, 15 metres. It also appears that there will be no adequate protection for the coastline in time for this winter and the pessimistic view must be that there is a risk of erosion on this scale continuing. The Church is currently just over 100 metres from the edge of the cliff.

  The Church is an important feature on the landscape. The guide book highlights the significance of the Fifteenth Century West Tower, which at 110 feet is ". . . one of the highest of the great towers of this district." Other factors not readily capable of valuation are the historical importance of the Church, the burial ground for a number of ship-wrecked mariners and, indeed, the views of relations of parishioners buried in the churchyard, who may be unhappy that the graveyard could be washed away.

  We trust this report is of assistance in your negotiations with the North Norfolk District Council.

  This report is written for the benefit of the Norfolk Churches Trust in making representation to the North Norfolk District Council. The terms of our instructions specifically state that a detailed inspection and report is not required, and we are aware that you have dicussed the contents of this report with your other professional advisors with our consent.

11 October 1996


 
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