Legal & expert support to those affected by the Old Roar Gill landslide & creating open resources for any landslide communities in the UK
Unlike flooding, there is no government support (such as emergency funding and government-backed insurance) for communities and local authorities affected by landslides. We found this out the hard way. We are raising money towards getting legal and technical expert support for the communities affected by an ongoing landslide at Old Roar Gill in Hastings. Legals support is needed to change the conditions of the Emergency Prohibition Orders we have been issued with, which prohibit us from living in our homes; and to fight the lack of action by the local authorities in slowing down, managing and repairing the damage of the landslide. Expert technical support we need involves the commissioning of environmental, soil and geotechnical reports which will consider the legacy issues of planning, environmental and water management and maintenance, we believe have played a significant role in this disaster. A soil survey will cost between 15K and 25K.
Everything we learn about the process, what kinds of expertise are needed and where and how to look for support, will be turned into open resources, guides and advice for any community affected by landslide in the UK. We hope that you will come on this journey with us and lend your support. Because this could happen to anyone. We still can’t believe it is happening to us.
WHO ARE WE? We are residents affected by the Old Roar Gill landslide in Hastings, East Sussex. Although there is evidence that the landslide started before the 14th February 2024, we first became aware that something was happening at 9pm on Valentines’ Day when we heard the crushing sound of trees falling down the banks of the nearby Gill. Since that day we have lost so much: over 40 trees and tonnes of earth are now at the bottom of the Gill, along with fences, decking, sheds and other debris; there are over 100 residents who face unbelievable uncertainty whether they would be able to get and afford insurance, mortgages and would be able to sell their property. Three houses are now very close to the edge of the landslide, and two of them have been deemed to be too dangerous to live in. 4 people are now homeless.
The landslide is still active and we are watching the earth crumble around us, whilst there has been little, to no, support from Hastings Borough Council (who owns the Gill where the landslide started); East Sussex County Council (who are responsible for the maintenance of the path which used to lie between our gardens and the banks of the Gill); the water supplier Southern Water and insurance companies. We want to understand what has happened and how it can be fixed, as the future of the homes of our entire neighbourhood and all the surrounding properties depend on it.
You can find out more on our Facebook page Falling through the cracks: Old Roar Gill landslide https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556591287751
Thank you for your support and please share this link on your social media : https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/falling-through-the-cracks-1
This project successfully funded on 4th April 2024