Overview
- During a £50 pre-application call, a trainee planning officer told the Trimingham buyers the site is at risk from erosion and that building would be refused.
- The couple say they heard a colleague laughing and saying "Not a chance" during the call, a claim reported by them but not independently verified.
- Having sold their Nottingham bungalow, Phil Merry and Amy Parkinson expect to live in a touring caravan and have hired a planning consultant to review options.
- Deeds show about 16 feet of their land has been lost since 1997, and documents suggest the plot’s leading edge—around 65 feet from the cliff—would be at risk by 2065.
- North Norfolk District Council stresses erosion is longstanding and not always flagged in sales, while Watsons says the plot was listed as amenity land and it will try to recover money as Mr Merry says the council wants roughly £6,000 of surveys before any use.