Lydd contract for Van Oord

Van Oord has signed a contract with the British Environment Agency for the design and realization of a coastal defense at Lydd, on the south coast of Kent.

The project is designed to protect this valuable nature reserve and the British Defense Ministry’s military training ground again for 25 years from storm damage and coastal erosion.

The contract encompasses 320,000 cubic meters of shingle beach nourishment, the construction of 34 timber groynes, rock armor protection and other flood risk management related asset improvement and replacement works. 

The beach nourishment operation is scheduled for summer 2022, once the timber groynes have been completed.

A trailing suction hopper dredger will be deployed for this part of the execution.

The coastal defense project at Lydd forms part of a much larger coastal defense scheme to better protect the low-lying Romney Marsh area, a large section of the Kent coastline. It provides protection to some 14,500 homes, 700 businesses and nationally important critical infrastructure that is at risk from coastal flooding.

Construction activities are expected to start in April.