...only one thing being erroded here !!!!  :'( :-X >:(

Actually far less erosion than you (or Waveney District Council) may suspect. At present there is a by-law in place that says "Nude bathing is restricted to the specified site at Corton." This appears in item 10 of Waveney's Seashore Byelaw Summary (available here).

However, the current Seashore ByeLaws are being replaced. The new set of byelaws are based on the Department for Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) Model Byelaws for the Seashore, which contain no prohibition on nude bathing. Waveney's new byelaws have been approved by the DCLG, have been advertised locally for a month without any objection being received, and are awaiting signature by the secretary of state until which time the old ones remain in force. However, in the view of CCBN's RLO, Malcolm Boura, the present bye law would almost certainly fall if challenged in the courts.

With the old prohibition on nude bathing removed, naturists will be free to use any beach in the Waveney area, so we're actually much better off than before.

I do appreciate that, for some people, the idea of using a beach that has not been designated for nude use is not attractive due to the potential for hassle from those who do not know the legal position (which, unfortunately, may include the local police service).

The new byelaws and notice of consultation may be found here.

Have fun,

Ian.

PS: Please note that this post is a compilation of bits of information gleaned from other forums, most notably the BN members forum.

Edited to fix typo - Ian.

Radio Norfolk reported the decision by Waveney District Council this morning. They just fed out the Press Release that they had been given, (by WDC?) and implied that it was hard luck for the 'Nuddies'.

After all  Naturisum is only a minority activity!  or at least that was the impression given.

Mention was made of Holkham Beach which it was said was still available for Naturist activities.

The Waveney District Council press release reads:

Waveney District Council today confirms that the naturist beach at Corton will be de-designated with effect from November 1 2009 and says it is committed to exploring suitable, alternative facilities for the naturist community. The decision was taken by the Council following a three-month public consultation.

The original recommendation, presented in December 2008, acknowledged the concerns of Corton residents regarding the lack of available beach space for non-naturists. The naturist beach was founded by Waveney District Council in the mid-1970s and, at the time, Corton village had a long sandy beach which was used by locals and a large number of visitors.

However, significant beach erosion during the past 20 years has led to a reduction of some 80% of available beach space. Therefore, the communities of Corton and the visitors to this area have little or no beach to access, without entering the designated naturist area.

The public consultation lasted three months and the Council was grateful to receive a wide range of views and opinions on the proposals. The Council also met representatives of British Naturism for constructive and productive discussions, prior to the final decision.

Cllr Ken Sale, Portfolio Holder for the Environment said: “This decision was always going to be the right answer for some and the wrong one for others but it was important that we weighed up all the facts and settled on an outcome which we believe is most appropriate.

“It is the responsibility of this Council to represent and reflect the wishes of the district’s communities and while there was clear support for the retention of the facility amongst respondents from around the country and abroad, nearly 90% of responses from Corton and Lowestoft asked for de-designation.

“However, I was very grateful for the time I spent with representatives of British Naturism and I have the utmost respect for their wish to peacefully pursue their lifestyle choices. Therefore, the decision to de-designate comes with two important caveats.

“First, the decision will not be implemented until November which will give British Naturism the time they need to ensure all their members are made aware of the changes. It will also enable us to place signage on the beach which will inform visitors of the impending changes. Second, Waveney will undertake to explore potential alternative sites which are suitable for naturists but which are not currently affected by the erosion issues we have in Corton.”

(It is available on their website here.)

The important points to note:

They have undertaken to explore potential alternative sites. This may well just be soft soap, but naturists should take this option up, if only to keep WDC's eye off the real ball; naturism is not illegal on any English or Welsh beach, unless specifically made so by a byelaw and they are about to repeal the byelaw that made it so in their district.

The locals who sought de-designation may very well have just won a pyrrhic victory  🙂

Have fun,

Ian.

Edited to correct typo - Ian

The Solicitor to Waveney District Council has now advised BN's Regional Representative that the new byelaws for the Seashore have been confirmed by the Secretary of State. The new byelaws will come into force (and the existing ones revoked) on 1 June 2009.

As noted above, one consequence of these new byelaws is that there will no longer be a legal requirement to wear clothing on Waveney District's beaches.

Have fun (and use those beaches!),

Ian.