VBA, a joint venture between VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and SNC Lavalin’s Atkins business, has completed the final section of the sea defense works at Fairhaven Lake, and the promenade is now open to the public.
The Fairhaven coastal protection scheme involved the replacement of the sea defense walls, as the existing coastal defences were time expired and had been failing.
The previous concrete defenses were built in the 1890s and had been undergoing emergency repairs every year to prevent a major breach.
This scheme mitigates the impact of extreme weather and climate change by protecting 2,400 residential properties from coastal erosion and flooding. VBA also raised the defences to withstand a 1-in-200-years storm event, whilst having a lifespan of 100 years, taking into account predicted sea level rises.
Further to Fylde Council securing a £21.4m grant from the Environment Agency, VBA delivered the initial scope seven months early and £2.3m under the Project Appraisal Report estimate. This enabled the client to instruct £3.65m of additional work, including replacing the sea wall at Granny’s Bay.
VBA completed all the works under budget, and ahead of the contract completion date of December 2020.