A WOMAN who tore down three of her cliffside homes to stop them tumbling into the sea is now building four more in the same place.
Anne Jones, 54, had to demolish three terraced homes in the Suffolk village of Easton Bavents in 2020 after a storm left them teetering on the cliff’s edge.
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She now wants to build four more in their place – even though the cliff is eroding at a rate of 15 feet a year.
Anne estimates that the homes will cost around £200,000 each to build.
East Suffolk Council, is expected to make a decision about Anne’s planning application in around eight weeks’ times.
Anne said the “collapsible” homes will be made from timber and can be taken apart and moved back as the cliff is worn away.
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She said: “I hope the houses will not need to be taken apart in my lifetime but future-proofing is important.
“There is no doubt that climate change and global warming are getting worse.
“We move five metres towards the cliff edge every year.
“It’s a very unfair and difficult situation where we can’t protect our own property because of the cliff erosion.
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Anne added: “I’m not aware of anyone who has been able to make it work.
“We’re hoping to become a trailblazer with a creative solution.”
The planning application says the homes have been “designed for ease of assembly, and also ease of disassembly and reuse”.
It adds that the houses can be “easily taken apart, demounted and moved as nature dictates.”
In the application, Anne writes: “If the encroachment of the sea threatens these homes, they can be disassembled, relocated to another site and re-erected.”
The four new homes are intended to replace the three demolished East End Cottages as well as Warren House, which is still standing.
Warren House is now just 187 feet from the cliff face – and will need to be demolished by 2040.
East Suffolk Council has been contacted for comment.
What are collapsible homes?
COLLAPSIBLE homes are designed to be easily moved from place to place.
The homes are usually built from timber or light still so they can be folded up.
They have built-in plumbing and wiring, letting their owners set up home in different places.
Foldable homes are popular with people who move around a lot or who want an eco-friendly lifestyle.
