Rock On: UK's Kent Beach Flood Defence Starts
Rocks are being delivered as work by Van Oord starts on the £30m scheme to protect 1,400 properties at Broomhill Sands Coastal Defence Scheme in Kent, informs UK's Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency has appointed Team Van Oord to construct the scheme, which will cover 2.4km of beach from The Suttons, Camber to the western boundary of Lydd Ranges and will include:
- a new 1.7km rock defence and tidal wave wall
- increasing the amount of shingle along 700 metres of the beach
- the replacement of a number of the existing timber groynes with eight new 54m groynes to stabilise the beach and retain beach material
- widened and improved access along the tops of the sea defences
The rock for the new defence will be imported from Norway and will be delivered by barge.
The works are scheduled for completion in December 2015 and will improve the flood protection to more than 1,300 homes and 100 businesses by increasing the standard of protection to the area from 1 in 20 years to 1 in 200 years. The scheme will also protect vital infrastructure in the area including the main coastal road and sewage treatment works.
The scheme is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Ian Nunn, Environment Agency Operations Manager, said:
“I am delighted that work is able to start on this new scheme, an essential project which I know is important for the people of Camber and Lydd Ranges.”