Deal sea defence scheme - South East Coastal Group

Deal sea defence scheme
October 2012
Newsletter no. 5
We are writing to update you on the
progress of the Deal sea defence
scheme.
Work on the scheme has been progressing
well since our last newsletter in September.
The shingle and rock deliveries are now
complete and we will be starting work on the
wave wall shortly. There has been plenty to
see during the works so far and we hope
those of you who have been able to visit the
sea front have enjoyed watching the works.
Staff from our contractor Westminster
Dredging and Dean & Dyball have been
answering lots of questions from spectators.
If you have a question, don’t hesitate to ask
them!
In order to complete the scheme before the
worst of the winter weather arrives, we are
working very quickly, so there’s always
something new to see on the sea front. We
are keen to hear what you think of the works.
Drop us an email or write your feedback in our
comment book at the Royal Hotel.
Timescales
Rock works
Shingle works
Work on new wave
wall
Works substantially
completed
From 1 October
for approx 8 weeks
From week
commencing 17
September for
approx 6 weeks
From week
commencing 8
October
Christmas 2012
Although, the works will be substantially
complete by Christmas there will be a period
of tidying up and removal of our site offices in
January 2013.
The works
Rock
The new 200m long rock revetment to the north
of Sandown Castle will strengthen the existing
defence by absorbing the wave energy.
We started delivering the rock to Deal on 15
September, bringing it on a barge which had
taken five days to travel from Norway, across
the North Sea.
We began constructing the new rock revetment
on 1 October, by removing the existing rock.
We are now carefully placing the individual
rocks into their correct position on the beach.
We will be using three sizes of rock to build the
revetment. At the base will be a layer of small
rock providing a stable platform. On top of that
we will position a mixture of 3-6 tonne and 6-10
tonne rocks.
We can only do the rock work during low tides.
In order to finish this work as quickly as
possible before the winter storms we will need
to work during both of the low tides each day.
Due to the timing of the tides this may mean
that we will need to work at night.
This element of the scheme will be complete by
mid December 2012.
Shingle
We have used an off-shore dredger, the Prins
der Nederlanden, to deliver approximately
120,000 cubic metres of shingle through a
pipeline to recharge the beach between
Sondes Road and Sandown Castle. This part
of the scheme alone will cost approximately
£3 million.
The new wave wall is designed to reduce the
wave energy and direct the waves back into
the sea. It will also reduce the amount of
shingle which is thrown up onto the road. The
overlapping design will reduce the power of
the waves while maintaining public access to
the promenade.
The pipeline was placed on the beach on 12
September, with the first shingle delivery
arriving on 19 September.
We have started to prepare the wall site by
removing the shelter and beginning some
excavation works. The wall units will start
arriving by road from the beginning of
November.
Due to the depth of the seabed off-shore, we
have been limited in the number of times we
have been able to reposition the pipeline.
This is why we have been using dumper
trucks to move shingle along the sea front.
Site staff will be working on the promenade
between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
We expect the wall to be substantially
complete by Christmas 2012.
We received our final delivery of shingle on 10
October. This was our 17th delivery. Although
the off-shore dredger has left Deal, our
contractors are still working on the beach to
push the shingle into the correct beach shape.
We expect to finish this towards the end of
October.
Ways to find out more
 Our monthly newsletters keep everyone
updated on the progress of the works.
Newsletters will be available on our
website or at the Royal Hotel. You can
sign up to receive an e-copy of the
newsletter, by emailing us at:
[email protected].
 Our webpage: www.environmentagency.gov.uk/deal
 Our staff - don’t hesitate to ask our site
staff any questions you have or contact us
by using the contact details below.
Tell us what you think
We are keen to hear what you think of the
works. Please drop us an email or write your
feedback in our comment book at the Royal
Hotel.
To do the works safely, we have closed the
sections of beach where we are working. We
expect to reopen the beach at the end of
October.
Wave wall
We will start constructing the new wave wall
shortly. It will be positioned on the promenade
just south of Stanley Road and will end at King
Street.
The work will continue to be exciting and we
are looking forward to talking to you on the
seafront about the works. Please don’t
hesitate to contact us with any concerns or
questions you have and we will do our best to
resolve them.
Who can I contact about the project?
Verity Kirstein, from the Partnership &
Strategic Overview team on 03708 506 506
or via email: [email protected]