A £400,000 scheme to protect a vulnerable stretch of Suffolk coastline has finished ahead of schedule.

The second phase of the project at Thorpeness involved nearly 2,000 fabric bags filled with sand and shingle being used to strength the defences.

The defences at the northern end of the village are being reconstructed and strengthened after damage caused by storms in June last year.

The work was made possible by a partnership involving Suffolk Coastal District Council, the Environment Agency and local residents.

Andy Smith, deputy leader of the council, said: “It is great that the £400,000 second phase scheme has completed its main and hugely important task of repairing and strengthening the damaged existing defences, so reducing the immediate threat to local homes from coastal erosion.

“Most of the funding is from the Government via the Environment Agency, with the remainder coming from this council and most importantly local residents, as without their £137,000 commitment the scheme would not have got financial backing from the Government.

A total of 1,856 bags were needed – 200 fewer than estimated – and the work, carried out by J Breheny Contractors Ltd, finished two weeks ahead of schedule. There will now be additional repair work to the gabions which could extend into February.

The work involved bags being laid eight to 10 layers deep on more than one-and-a-half square miles of geo-fabric, creating a 600ft toe-shaped structure that will provide vital support to the existing rock- filled wire basket revetment.

Charles Beardall, area manager for the Environment Agency, said: “We are delighted that this important scheme is progressing well. The local community are to be commended for the vital part that they have played in making this scheme possible.”

Because the area is still a
construction site, the fencing will have to remain up over the Christmas period and closed to public access.

Story by Jonathan Barnes on the Coastal Scene website

THE PIER extensions may in future be protected by rock armour as part of a new strategy to safeguard the Whitby coast.

Stewart Rowe, Scarborough Borough Council’s principal coastal officer, gave a presentation at a full meeting of Whitby Town Council (6 Dec) about work that is taking place to create a new coastal defence strategy.

In this presentation he suggested that to completely repair all of Whitby’s sea defences, including the harbour, would cost around £80m.

Mr Rowe said: “All the defences around the country were built around the same time by the Victorians in the 1840s.

“They’re therefore coming to the end of their lives, but there’s also potentially around 200 years of steadily increasing sea levels to battle against.

“Because the water’s getting deeper, the waves are getting bigger, which undercuts the promenades and causes more problems.”

The new defence plan will replace the first strategy, produced in 2002, and incorporates five kilometres of coastline between Sandsend and Abbey Cliff, as well as extending into the River Esk estuary up to the New Bridge.

During this presentation, Mr Rowe explained that although a number of options will be researched, rock armour may be installed in the next five to seven years to protect the pier extensions, although he did add: “rock armour would only be accepted if it was below water level”.

Rock armour, described by one councillor as “ugly”, protects the piers by breaking up wave action and reducing erosion.

It would also reduce the volume of waves breaching over the pier extensions, making them safer to pedestrians.

The A174 was highlighted as a major concern by the engineer, especially the area at Raithwaite Gap, and so if that road is to remain open – a much-maligned idea to relocate the road has long been muted – a large amount of erosion protection is required to safeguard the coastline.

Another major issue, thrown into context recently, is the flooding of areas in the centre of Whitby, with many expecting this to take place with increasing frequency as global sea levels rise.

The flooding which took place on 27 November was a freak storm surge caused by a number of different factors, but unless preventative measures are put into place, it is set to become a serious problem for residents of Church Street and New Quay Road.

“My job is to attract central government grants to fix these things,” said Mr Rowe.

“The problem in Whitby is it’s not a vast number of properties that flood.

“Although it’s a tragedy for the individual, we’re in competition with the rest of Yorkshire for funding.”

Whitby Coastal Strategy 2 is being produced by Scarborough Borough Council in collaboration with Whitby Town Council, Whitby Harbour Board, North Yorkshire County Council, the Environment Agency, and Natural England.

Story in the Whitby Gazette

ONE of Yorkshire’s most popular attractions could be at risk from devastating landslips unless action is taken to repair a sea wall, it has been claimed.

The Yorkshire Post reported yesterday that councillors in Scarborough will next week examine plans for a new 1.1 metre (3.6ft) sea wall around a stretch of the resort’s South Bay designed to protect the area from the ravages of the North Sea and the incre,asing risks of climate change.

However, the scheme will also play a key part in stabilising the cliff behind the famous Scarborough Spa complex which attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

Experts say the cliff is already showing evidence of damage owing to landslide movements which could endanger the spa, posing a similar risk to the notorious Holbeck Hall Hotel landslip less than a mile to the south in 1993.

Scarborough Borough Council’s Cabinet will look at six options for the work but are being urged to back a move which would see a new wave wall constructed 1.1m above walkway level, with rock armour in front of the existing sea wall and major slope stabilisation works.

Council officials say the move is the best option on cost and environmental grounds to bolster defences.

The improvements could also open the way to further development of the spa to attract new businesses and attractions.

Councillor Andrew Backhouse, the council’s cabinet portfolio holder for coastal and flood defences, said it was clear coastal defences, including the sea wall dating back to the 1840s, were now approaching the end of their life despite continuing maintenance and repair. They played a key role not only in protecting the seafront but also the stability of the cliff.

“The cliff behind the spa complex is known to be the site of a pre-existing landslide, prone to both frequent shallow small-scale landslides and rare major deep-seated landslides,” he said.

“A major landslide has the potential to endanger the spa complex and associated sea walls, leading to further coastal erosion and landsliding affecting cliff-top properties and adjacent frontages.

“There is already evidence of damage due to landslide movement in the cliffs behind the spa. Landslide risk is linked to the integrity of sea defences and as the condition of the current defences worsens, so the chance of a major landslide event increases.

“The current height of the sea walls is not sufficient to prevent severe wave overtopping, which causes damage to the promenades and adjacent areas and presents a serious risk to public safety.

“The current problems will be compounded further by the effects of climate change. The predicted rise in sea levels and increase in storm conditions means that sea defences will become the subject of much more forceful waves at greater frequency – and the potential for overtopping and breaching will undoubtedly increase.

“Contrary to some reports in the media, we are approaching the point when we can no longer just simply pursue a tactic of make do and mend. The sea defences are inadequate, wave overtopping is well beyond safe levels and will get worse and the effectiveness of these coastal defences continues to deteriorate.”

A business case will be submitted to the Environment Agency once an option has been selected so further cash can be secured for the detailed design, planning applications, further public consultation and delivery of the scheme.

But councillors are warning that under new Government funding arrangements, it remains unclear if the agency will be in a position to fund the cost of the project. If there are no stumbling blocks, work could begin by the summer of 2014. The changes follow the adoption of the Scarborough Coastal Defence Strategy in 2007 which agreed measures to improve protection on the coastline.

Story in the Yorkshire Post

A CAMPAIGNING councillor who battled for more than ten years to get flood defences improved feels vindicated after work was finally approved.

The Environment Agency announced it will start strengthening the sea wall to protect people, property and agricultural land.

Three miles of tidal embankment will be targeted between Pig’s Bay, north of Shoebury, and Havengore Bridge, Great Wakering.

The agency is currently designing and planning the work, which could run until 2013.

It will involve re-grouting blocks, replacing failed beams, replacing or re-laying disturbed blocks, installing steel reinforcements where necessary and re-profiling and raising any low spots.

Great Wakering parish councillor Brian Efde, in his seventies, has, in the past, been accused of scaremongering for saying homes under threat could become uninsurable.

Mr Efde, of High Street, Great Wakering, said: “Getting the flood walls built is more important than me getting any credit.

“I have been accused of lying and I now feel vindicated.

“The issue affects a lot of people’s homes, so this decision is good news.

“I have had a letter from the Environment Agency explaining they are going to be carrying out the essential works.

“The parish council is now organising a document and we will be meeting to discuss exactly what the Environment Agency is going to be doing.”

The agency has admitted current defences could be vulnerable in a flood or extreme tide.

The work will be carried out with the help of defence technology and security company QinetiQ.

The agency said it hoped to cause as little disruption as possible to the areas affected.

Mark Johnson, the agency’s coastal manager, said: “This work is part of our planned programme of maintenance covering the Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex coast identified as necessary in the Essex and South Suffolk Shoreline Management Plan and earlier studies.’’ Mr Johnson added: “We are always happy to work with local communities.

“We are pleased people in Great Wakering feel reassured by the work which is planned.’’ The Echo reported yesterday how James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, welcomed the news.

He said he hoped the work would help prevent a reoccurrence of 1953, when a total of 59 people from Canvey died in floods.

Story by Ryan McCarthy in the Echo

A recent rock fall which left caravans hanging over a cliff in South Wales brought the issue of coastal erosion into stark focus. In a special report, Rachael Misstear visits a defence project which it is hoped could protect our shoreline – and boost tourism

IT was recently named as Wales’ best place to bring up children, but the future of the village itself was in jeopardy due to decades of unrelenting coastal erosion.

Now it is hoped that part of Borth’s coastline will be protected for several generations thanks to a £12.9m coastal defence project which could also boost tourism.

Scheduled to be completed in January, the project includes an artificial barrier reef – which will stretch for up to 300 metres off the coast.

In all there are six structures – two groynes, two breakwaters and two offshore reefs.

Experts believe that the man-made reef will break the waves before they reach the shore and provide excellent conditions for surfers, who could help boost the local seaside economy.

The pioneering idea to incorporate a tourism amenity within the protection scheme may well be a benchmark for other similar coastal defence schemes being planned around the UK.

The epic project has seen 288,000 tonnes of hardcore brought to the shore, with giant 10-tonne boulders shipped in from Norway during the 12-month construction.

It has taken 16 years of planning, consultation and funding battles, but it is hoped the scheme will be the first of a series of vital phases to improve the area’s sea defences.

Built on a shingle ridge in Cardigan Bay, the village, just north of Aberystwyth, was recognised as being particularly vulnerable to the effects of the sea, with decades of damage eating away the shoreline.

Each winter, storms batter properties, with flooding damaging homes and spilling on to the high street, leaving few residents able to insure homes.

Hundreds of those whose homes sit along the shore are expected to benefit from this first phase of the scheme, which could reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion for the next century.

The works haven’t come a moment too soon for the village.

Current 1970s timber groynes and breastwork defences were reaching the end of their lifespan, and there was a pressing need for further protection on the 6km frontage.

With a population of 1,500, which swells by 7,000 with holidaymakers, bathers and surfers each summer, it is hoped the award-winning beach will prove even more alluring to tourists in 2012.

The idea and viability of the surfing amenity was something that Ceredigion councillor Ray Quant began to investigate a decade ago.

“We were contacted by a New Zealand company, who in turn had been contacted by Borth Surf Club questioning the viability of a reef as part of the scheme,” he said

“Obviously, surfing wasn’t at all a priority, but we didn’t want to dismiss the idea out of hand either. If we could create some extra value to the project, then obviously it was worth exploring.

“I spoke to a professor from New Zealand who was interested in such schemes and he finally visited Wales and attended a community council meeting.

“Although it was something that wasn’t that well received initially, we began to look at the possibility of a new reef as a surfing amenity.

“I saw this as something that could add value to the project, which was obviously primarily to protect the coast.

“A study was carried out and talks got under way to see if the reef option could be included – and only if it could be proved it provided coastal defence.

“Borth’s main sea defence is the shingle bank, and the reef would realign the waves so they travel directly up the shore and stop shingle drifting northwards and away from the town’s coast. Any solution’s first aim had to be preventing that.”

The solution, devised by consultants Royal Haskoning for Ceredigion council, has since won massive support from the seaside community, which has contributed to planning the development.

Residents and business owners stressed during consultation how the seaside and beach was the lifeblood of the resort.

“Community engagement was vital in coming up with the right solution,” said Rhodri Llwyd, coast and rivers engineer in the council’s Department of Highways, Property & Works.

“The community wanted to retain as much of an open beach as possible; they didn’t want a wall, so the idea of a reef seemed a practical solution.”

Royal Haskoning project manager Alice Johnson said the design has been significantly influenced by the people of Borth, and the overall cost of developing the potential surf amenity was negligible.

“Essentially, adding the reef as a surfing amenity has been just a fraction of the cost of the project – costing just £163,000 more than an ordinary breakwater construction.

“In terms of design, to start with we looked at 10-12 options, right from the traditional concrete sea wall, off-shore structures all the way along, to putting lots of sand and shingle on the beach on its own.

“We also looked at putting the timber groynes back in, putting rock structures all the way along the beach – and this was what we eventually first presented to the community.

“At that point, the community said its main industry was tourism and the beach amenity was important. They wanted something that would incorporate well with the bucket and spade environment of Borth.

“The idea of having a combined reef became more credible. Residents didn’t want rock structure on their beach, so we needed an off-shore option.”

Construction is now in full flow, with a raft of plant shifting the shingle bank about and building the rock groynes and reefs.

“With the reefs and much of the breakwaters below sea level at high tide, work has to be timed carefully with activity starting on site at 6am, running through to 9pm, with a three-hour break for high tide.

Project manager Ray Jones said the rock reef was a preferred option of two designs, including another which would have been sandbank reef.

“Two tenders went in and the rock reef was chosen. Our initial tender came in at £11.5m and we needed to shave that down to £10.5m, because of the add-on costs of designers.

“We did that by looking at various material and by changing elements of the design.”

He said a key party to the project was the Countryside Council for Wales who advised on what kind of materials could be used, in terms of size, colour and appropriate shapes to fit in with the geometry of the area.

“There are six structures: two groynes, two breakwaters and two offshore reefs – 112,000 tonnes of rock, and 176,000 tonnes of shingle,” he said.

Much material was sourced locally, helping to cut the project’s carbon footprint. A quarry in Ystrad Meurig was used to source material for the bedding, seams and rock faces.

But when it came to sourcing some of the large rocks needed for the reef, the team had to take a giant delivery from Norway.

Out on the reef, the rocks are six to 10 tonnes, and won’t be found at Welsh quarries, so they were sourced from Norway.

Barges carried two loads of 24,000 tonnes of rocks, brought to shore by smaller barges on each high tide.

The 124,000 tonnes of shingle replacement, buried in the lower part of the beach, came from Ystrad Meurig. A further 47,000 tonnes of rounded shingle was brought from Porthmadog and 5,000 tonnes of shingle came from an Aberystwyth river bed.

As Borth is essentially one long high street, bringing in huge lorries was impractical, so deliveries were made at each end of the beach and transported from there.

The scheme could set a precedent for dozens of other vulnerable Welsh coastal sites.

A report by the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) predicts a two-metre water level rise in the next 50 to 100 years.

It warns that without better coastal defences, towns along the country’s beautiful coastline face being lost.

Borth residents John and Elin Hefin, whose property backs onto the beach front, said the benefits of the protection had already become apparent.

“In September, when storms battered the coast, the violent waves which would have hit the shore and splashed properties, had been broken up before hitting them,” said Mrs Hefin. “It looks promising and has been a vital investment for our village.”

Mr Hefin added: “We feel that in terms of public spending this is great value, at £12m our coast is being safeguarded and literally hundreds of homes will be protected.”

Story by Rachael Misstear in the Western Mail

HUNDREDS of properties in Scarborough’s North Bay could be at risk unless vital work is carried out to bolster the existing sea wall defences, it has been claimed.

A recent inspection revealed the need for “urgent” emergency work to be carried out to stabilise sections of the sea wall to prevent breaches of the defences.

Many large hotels and residential properties would be under threat if the wall failed. Scarborough Council’s Cabinet agreed to accept £87,000 from the Environment Agency for the project and will appoint consultants to investigate to best way to carry out the vital work.

Pauline Elliott, the council’s head of planning and regeneration, said: “The engineers’ report noted a large list of faults.

“About 295 properties have been identified at risk of possible loss behind the defences within the short term and medium term should the defences fail.”

She added: “Over the long term it is anticipated that further significant loss of property would occur.”

Some of the highlighted defects include displaced and fractured blockwork and erosion at the foundations of the defences.

She added: “Consequences of seawall failure for this area would include the loss of tourism, loss of infrastructure and the loss of environment including both historic and natural.”

Consultants are expected to be in place by the beginning of the year, with the report produced by the end of February, and a submission made to the Environment Agency next March – if further funding is secured then the matter will be presented to Cabinet next September.

Mrs Elliott said: “Scarborough North Bay has formed over many years through the cutting back of the high till coastal slopes between the Scalby Ness and Castle headlands.

“As a result of the very square natural shape of the bay it is exposed to an aggressive dominant north easterly wave direction.

“The age of the original hard defence structures, not included in the Castle Headland Coast Protection works in 2002, date to 1890. However, additions and improvements were made to various sections in the 1920s, 1950s and most recently the 1970s.

“Behind the defences are large dormant and locally active coastal slopes consisting of glacial till overlaying sand and mudstone.

“Immediately above the coastal slopes are situated many large historic hotels and residential properties, all potentially at risk should the wall fail.”

The general issues of sea defences and coastal erosion were brought into focus in June 1993 with the collapse of the Holbeck Hall Hotel.

Last year a new landslide caused the complete and permanent closure of a section of Scarborough’s Filey Road.

The landslip was near the Knipe Point residential estate, where three houses were demolished because of another destructive landslide in early-2008.

Two bungalows left teetering dangerously on the cliff edge were demolished later that month, followed by a third bungalow weeks later.

Story in the Scarborough Evening News

A man-made barrier reef created as part of a £29m coastal defence scheme is expected to bring more surfers to mid Wales.

The 300m (984ft) reef, at Borth near Aberystwyth, is due to be completed in November.

Ceredigion council said it would provide protection from coastal erosion and flooding.

But surfing schools say it will attract enthusiasts from across the UK, and could ease overcrowding in other areas.

With a population of 1,500, which swells by 7,000 with an influx of holidaymakers, bathers and surfers, it is hoped the 6km-long award-winning Borth beach will now become even more alluring to visitors.

Simon Turner of Aber Adventures, which organises surfing lessons along Cardigan Bay, said it was “highly likely” the reef would attract more surfers.

“It is one of the first in the world that is purpose-built using rocks,” he said.

‘Constant pressure’

“It is a unique project. It gives us another resource from a surfing point of view.”

Popular surfing spots were “under constant pressure” and suffered from overcrowding.

“It’s a new scheme so people will want to see it. This will disperse crowds in other areas,” he said.

The project has been jointly funded by the Welsh Government and the Welsh European Funding Office.

It will comprise two rock breakwaters, two rock groynes, shingle nourishment and the construction of the off-shore reef.

Although its primary function is coastline protection, the reef has been designed to improve surfing conditions at high tide.

‘Protecting’

A Ceredigion council spokeswoman said: “It will not create waves but will instead act to focus and shape the waves in an attempt to improve surfability, hopefully giving surfers a longer controlled ride.”

She added it was not the intention to “provide a surfer’s paradise”, but to provide protection to the village of Borth from coastal erosion and flooding while providing added amenity benefits by retaining an open beach.

Val Hawkins, chief executive of Mid Wales Tourism, said: “The artificial reef and coastal protection work are excellent news for Borth.

“Tourism is a very important industry in the area and the beach at Borth is particularly well-known for surfing.

“We hope this new investment will attract many new surfers to mid Wales whilst also protecting Borth and adjoining the coastal area.”

Story on the BBC News website

CONSERVATION work is due to begin on a major scheme to improve coastal sea defences around Hightown.

The project involves moving thousands of tonnes of sand from Crosby and Waterloo to restore dunes alongside the River Alt.

It is hoped the Hightown Dune Restoration Project will protect hundreds of homes in Hightown – and the historic Blundellsands Sailing Club – for generations to come.

It will also restore sea views in Waterloo by removing sand dunes on the ‘landward’ side of the promenade between Crosby Leisure Centre and the Marine Lake.

Graham Lymbery, from Sefton’s Flood and Coastal Erosion team, explained: “This is an important project to protect Hightown for decades to come and will mark a significant chapter in the history of the Sefton coast.”

Story by Jade Wright in the Southport Visiter

A £1.2m coastal erosion project to help preserve an area of crumbling Essex coastline has been completed.

The 110m (361ft) Crag Walk has been built along The Naze in Walton to help protect the Site of Special Scientific Interest and Naze Tower from the sea.

More than 16,000 tonnes of granite rock have been shipped in to build the walk, which will also include a viewing platform overlooking the cliffs.

Residents have spent 25 years campaigning for the defences.

It is expected the Crag Walk will slow the erosion to 20m (65.6ft) over the next 70 to 100 years, as opposed to the previous one to two metres each year.

The work, which is part of the Naze Heritage Project, has been funded by the Naze Protection Society, Tendring District Council and Essex County Council.

The society’s chairman, David Gager, said it was a landmark moment.

“The completion of this very significant project marks the beginning of a bright new future,” he said.

“The Naze Heritage Project will be delivering a range of initiatives to make the Naze a desirable destination for visitors.”

John Hall of the Essex Wildlife Trust, which manages a nature reserve at the Naze, added: “People will now be able to walk along this new rock structure at the base of the cliffs, learn about history, the fossils and the wildlife.”

“We are now able to move on to Phase Two and fundraise for improved visitor facilities that the Naze deserves.”

The project will be officially opened in June.

Story on the BBC News Website

Owners of a north Norfolk holiday park perched above the sea have spent £190,000 of their own money shoring up the crumbling cliff to save their business.

Richard and Anna Hollis have bought 1,750 tonnes of armoured rock, which has been heaped around steel sheet pilings at the base of the eroding cliff that supports their Castaways Holiday Park in Bacton.

Experts had told the couple they would lose their cliff-edge caravans this year and, when their attempts to get help with funding failed, Mr and Mrs Hollis decided to go it alone.

The couple now join two other ‘King Canute’ East Anglians who have taken a DIY approach to tackling North Sea coastal erosion.

Since 2002, retired engineer Peter Boggis has kept the waves at bay from his Easton Bavents home, near Southwold, with the help of 250,000 tonnes of clay, which he has paid to have piled in front of eroding cliffs.

And last month brought news of pensioner Michael Kennedy, who has been throwing stones and boulders against Hunstanton cliff for two hours each day, six days a week, for the past 14 years, in a one-man bid to create a tidal barrier and protect it from erosion.

Mrs Hollis, 36, said: “We didn’t have a choice. It was do or die for our holiday park.” The couple, who have a daughter Katie, five, and son Thomas, two, hope their action has stalled their erosion nightmare for another 15-25 years.

“It’s been giving us a lot of sleepless nights,” said Mr Hollis, 39. “I was hoping to leave something to my children if they want to follow in the same path. We have invested a lot of money in this place.”

Half the cost of the defence work came from the couple’s savings. Mr Hollis said they had not been able to find anyone prepared to put a value on Castaways before the work was done, because of the erosion threat, and his bank had, therefore, refused to give them a loan for the balance. In the end, they had secured one with another high street lender under the government’s loan guarantee scheme, which allows small businesses to borrow without assets as security.

The Midlands couple moved from their native Tamworth seven years ago to live Mr Hollis’ boyhood dream of owning a holiday park and bought Castaways, which includes a clubhouse, seven apartments, 35 caravans and three pine lodges.

They say steel sheet pilings were in good condition at the foot of the cliff and a desktop survey conducted before their purchase did not mention coastal erosion. The couple claim that there were no problems until 2006-2007 when work began on a new under-sea pipeline at the neighbouring Bacton Gas site.

Mr and Mrs Hollis say the beach level then began to drop and the steel pilings collapsed, undermining the cliff. They estimate that about four metres of clifftop has also since disappeared.

The couple have been involved in a long correspondence, and held many meetings, with representatives from several companies based at the site, and with North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) officials, but say their grievances have not yet been resolved.

Mr Hollis added: “These are hard times and we’ve now got a loan which we will have to pay off. I want to make sure that people realise we have paid for these sea defences ourselves. We have had to – to protect and keep our site.”

No one from North Norfolk District Council was available to comment last night.

Story by Alex Hurrell in the Eastern Daily Press