The concrete coastal defences between Fairhaven and Church Scar, Lancashire, UK, originally constructed in the 1890's, were failing and frequently undergoing emergency repairs to prevent major beach breaches.
In December 2017, VolkerGround Engineering was awarded the contract by VBA, a joint venture between VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster, and SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business, to install tubular and sheet piles as part of a coastal protection project along the Fylde coast on behalf of Fylde Council.
F.ylde Council required the work to be undertaken to protect people's homes and sustain economic growth in the area. The combined flood and erosion risk contained 2,600 residential properties, schools and infrastructure serving the wider area The project is an example of working in partnership with the council and stakeholders with an open collaborative approach to achieve the objectives of the scheme while completing early and under budget.
VolkerGround's engineering team started by constructing the combi wall, consisting of 1,884 linear metres of 610mm diameter tubes and sheet piles. As the works took place within the tidal zone, VolkerGround Engineering worked closely with VBA to mitigate the associated risks and phased the piling works to allow for the incoming and outgoing tides. Trenches were dug out and bunded to stop the working areas from flooding during piling operations.
Moore Concrete were challenged to manufacture over 3300 flat and stepped revetment units and pedestrian access units, amounting to 22,000 tonnes of concrete in over 40 variations of unit type. Due to site logistics and storage issues, challenges of transport access were successfully overcome.
Despite challenging ground conditions and periods of high winds, that occasionally brought work to a halt, the project was delivered on time because of the team’s flexible approach to the programme of work. VBA completed the final section of the sea defence works five months ahead of schedule, enabling the opening of the promenade in July 2020.
The completed scheme now mitigates the impact of extreme weather and climate change by protecting the area from coastal erosion and flooding, and has already been praised by local residents and visitors alike.
In 2021, the project was awarded the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) Sustainability Project of the Year.