 Leisure |
|
|
|
All Headlines |
|
||||||||
 |
Eastbourne Beach management works Why are the works necessary? Eastbourne is no different to the rest of the English Channel coast in having to deal with rising sea levels, increased storminess and naturally eroding beaches. Shingle is no longer being brought ashore by the sea in sufficient quantity to naturally sustain the beach, and flint released from eroding chalk cliffs to the west is equally inadequate. In common with many other parts of the country, the level of protection afforded to Eastbourne is only maintained by directly adding shingle to the beach to replace material that is lost as it drifts eastward along the coast. Eastbourne�s Coast Protection Scheme saw the placement of 780,000 m� of shingle during 1998‐9. Since then only minor shingle works have been undertaken, with the result that the beach is now in need of renourishment. Not only that, but shingle has also been moving from west to east along the seafront. A substantial amount now needs to be moved westwards towards Holywell to reinforce depleted groyne bays to the east of the Wish Tower. Who is doing the work? The contract for this work has been awarded to Pevensey Coastal Defence Ltd (PCDL), who have successfully been maintaining Pevensey Bay�s beaches for the last 10 years. Westminster Dredging Company Ltd is part of the PCDL consortium and will be undertaking most of the work on PCDL�s behalf. They were also part of the joint venture team that undertook the original renourishment in 1998‐9. All works are being managed by Eastbourne Borough Council�s Engineering team. What is involved? Works will consist of two distinct operations; Recycling and Renourishment. Recycling involves re‐using shingle already on the beach. Material from groyne bays in surfeit is moved to others where there is a deficiency. Excavators load surplus beach into dump trucks, which then travel along the beach and tip the shingle where it is needed. Bulldozers then push the beach into its required position. Approximately 70,000 m� of beach needs to be recycled. Renourishment means importing shingle from elsewhere. In this case aggregate will be dredged from the sea bed and delivered to the beach by trailing suction hopper dredger Prins der Nederlanden . She will collect material from a licensed dredge area known as Owers Bank, which is a little over 6 miles offshore from Littlehampton. Dredging is undertaken at low water so that Prins der Nederlanden can time her arrival at Eastbourne to coincide with high water. About 1km offshore she will connect to the floating end of a temporary pipeline laid on the seabed. Her cargo will be mixed with sea water and then pumped ashore. Deliveries will be made every high tide, seven days a week, until the necessary quantity has been delivered. Excavators will load much of the delivered shingle into dump trucks so it can be moved to the precise groyne bays where it is needed. This reclamation will occur day and night and during weekends. The use of beach machines will be minimised during hours of darkness and on Sundays as far as is practicable. Delivery through the pipeline will create a degree of noise which cannot be avoided. Approximately 200,000 m� of sea‐dredged aggregate needs to be delivered. EASTBOURNE BEACH MANAGEMENT 2011 Recycling in operation Dredger Prins der Nederlanden pumping sea dredged aggregate ashore on a previous contract. When will the work take place? Work will start at the end of January. Environmental restrictions mean that in order to avoid possible damage to Holywell Reef only recycled shingle can be used at the western end of the frontage. This means that shingle will be dug from existing beaches near the Wish Tower and delivered by dump trucks to the groyne bays between the Wish Tower and Holywell. Removing shingle in this way creates space into which sea dredged aggregates can be delivered. The temporary pipeline will first come ashore in the area of groyne 76, opposite Princes Park at the eastern end of Royal Parade. It will subsequently be moved to near groyne 28 at the Wish Tower. The timing of this move, as with all work, is dependent on sea conditions prevailing at the time. Both dredging and delivery operations are affected by rough seas, which at this time of the year are a distinct possibility, and inevitably mean delays. It is anticipated that work will be completed in eight weeks, although because it is being carried out at the end of winter some disruption to the work programme is to be expected. How will the Works affect access? When heavy plant is working on the beach � either recycling existing beach or moving sea‐dredged aggregate from the pump‐head � it will be necessary to restrict public access for safety reasons. In general work is being programmed to move from west to east, so as work progresses completed sections of beach can then be re‐opened to the public. Throughout the works access will be maintained along all promenades. Please be watchful and make sure that children, in particular, are aware of the potential hazards associated with the movement of heavy machinery along the beach. |
|