Brighton Students Tour Elmer Coastal Defense Scheme

Students from the University of Brighton have paid a visit to a coastal defense scheme in the West Sussex village of Elmer, where works recently got underway.

The Elmer Coastal Defense Scheme is being carried out by Mackley, working as part of Team Van Oord, on behalf of the Environment Agency, Arun District Council and Elmer Sands Limited.

Works on the coastal defenses got underway in September and once completed, will help to protect 325 properties from flooding and erosion.

On 23 October, more than 40 students from the University of Brighton visited the scheme to witness firsthand the ongoing works.

David Knapp, Mackley’s Business Development Manager, said: “Students from local universities have been visiting Mackley sites since 2014, when we joined the local Industrial Advisory Board which is based at the University of Sussex.”

“The Board’s purpose is to forge links and partnerships between local universities and business and industry, to both enhance students’ learning experience and make an important contribution to their successful development.

“These visits to our sites are a key part of that development, and it’s great to see students enjoyed their first visit to Elmer.”

Elmer Sands lies four miles to the east of Bognor Regis and has a shoreline which includes a range of coastal defenses, providing protection to people and properties from the risk of flooding.

The project involves extending the existing rock revetment by approximately 180 meters – while 12,500 cubic meters of shingle is being recharged across the middle section of the defenses.

Work is due to be complete by March 2020.