Dream house

MalMonroe

Hi, the following links and info may be of interest, popped up when I googled "is there erosion on the sunderland coast uk"  -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-21648718

https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/article/17441/Managing-our-coastline

From the Daily Express 19 Feb 2023 -

British coastal areas at risk

1. Happisburgh, Norfolk
2. Kessingland, Suffolk
3. Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire
4. Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire
5. Sunderland, Tyne & Wear
6. Filey, North Yorkshire
7. Camber, East Sussex

A bit of food for thought, maybe?

lika_86

How far is Sunderland from your kids? Keep in mind that in retirement you may find yourself needing more familial support than you do now. 

You may find you need care, in which case you may need to sell the house to fund that care.

I wouldn't plan on your kids running it as a holiday home, they may not want to, they may need the funds for something else etc. If they (or you) were to sell it then having a property that needs a cash buyer then that does limit the market for buyers.

user1977

The vast majority of the coast isn't subject to erosion (in any meaningful way) so I'm not sure why you seem convinced that it's a likely problem. Where it is a problem, it's going to be reasonably obvious from local sources (or by doing things like looking at historic mapping).

mi-key

How far above sea level is the house? This can make a big difference with worries over erosion.

I live on the south wales coast, and in recent years we have had a number of cliff collapses nearby. One lost about 5 metres of cliff top and a big chunk of the coastal path that runs along the top of it.  There was also one a bit further along at the local caravan park that ended up like this : 

Lindsey006

Thank you for all the thoughts and suggestions, I will read up on erosion. I have a daughter in the Sunderland area so I would not be on my own - I think she is thinking of the benefits of free childcare and she would currently be happy to run it as a holiday home. My other children live in the South East so it would be useful to have somewhere to stay when visiting her so there are other benefits. I am hoping the weather will soon get worse and then I can visit in stormier conditions! 

pinkteapot

My mum has always loved the sea, and when she retired she moved from a large town in Essex to a coastal town and now has sea views! She absolutely loves it, ten years on. 

She rented first, in a townhouse literally overlooking a beach. She thought that would be the dream, but she didn't like it. In summer the racket from people on the beach was huge and year-round there were car doors banging outside from the crack of dawn with all the dog-walkers. Endless cars coming and going and parking outside her house. 

She then bought a house in a dead quiet cul-de-sac just around the corner from that rental. No parking issues (day trippers apparently don't want to walk 2 mins!) but she still has sea views with it just a bit further away.

If you've got your house, then a road in front, then a concrete wall with a beach in front, erosion seems pretty unlikely unless the Council stop maintaining the wall. You're not on top of a natural cliff - the wall will have been built to stop beach erosion.

Do you know the village/town it's in? Mum looked at various coastal towns and most were utterly dead - she'd have been bored stiff. Where she is is a decent size with a large retired community, so there's loads of clubs and social things to do. She's busier than when she was working.  

Emotionally, don't assume your kids will run the house as an AirBnB. When the time comes they may prefer to sell the house and take the cash. We could do mum's place as a holiday let or rental given its location but it's her house and I think I'd find it too upsetting to keep it and run it and potentially have strangers make a mess of it. 

Lindsey006

I really don’t mind if my kids keep it, sell it, live in it, rent it out etc they can do whatever works for them.
I will look into the town a bit more. It does have a train station etc but that is a good point about the social aspect of the town. It is beach, wall, bit of grass, house so no road involved. It is quite a wild beach but the sea doesn’t come all the way up (yet!). The house has its own car parking at the back; at the front is own private garden then public gardens. The public car park is quite a distance away so that has definitely been a good point to consider but I am happy with that aspect. Would a survey give any indication of potential risks from erosion? Maybe that is the way to go. 

Thank you for all the comments; it has been really helpful have other views. I do like the house though!

Dustyevsky

Coastal erosion of the type you're thinking of is obvious from local news sources. No one in and around Dawlish is in any doubt they had a problem a few years ago, or that it was something bound to happen in the years before it did! But it should be remembered, erosion is very often localised, so not all of Dawlish seaside was affected when the railway fell into the sea.

A local surveyor will know what's likely, but so will most of the populace, unless an issue is very recent.

Van_Girl

Lindsey006 said:

Would a survey give any indication of potential risks from erosion? Maybe that is the way to go. 

A surveyor won't find out anything more than what you could find out yourself. They will refer you to your legal advisor and environmental searches

Lindsey006

I didn’t go for the house. I decided it was probably always going to be a worry. The search continues!