Christchurch coastal protection scheme starts

Christchurch coastal protection and maintenance works, scheduled to take up to six weeks, will begin in the following days, BCP Council reports.

Works involve:

• beach recycling in four groyne bays between Avon and Friars Cliff beaches and Highcliffe beach;
• rock groyne reshaping and groyne beacon post repairs across all beaches from Mudeford Sandbank and Avon beach to Highcliffe, where required;
• reinforcing Steamer Point path with additional rock armour.

Matt Hosey, Head of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management BCP Council, said: “Our monitoring programme shows that beach levels across Christchurch have generally remained healthy since 2003.”

“Part of the works involve topping-up depleted beach areas by recycling and re-distributing local material, as well as realigning and re-shaping a number of rock groynes. The beach and groynes work together to protect the seawall and areas behind it from erosion by the sea.”

Mackley Civil Engineering will carry out works on behalf of BCP Council – to be on-site this week, setting up compound areas.

This maintenance work will take up to six weeks, three weeks on the Highcliffe to Avon Beach areas and three weeks at Mudeford Sandbank.