£2M Grant for Granny’s Bay Sea Defenses

Fylde Council has secured another £2 million grant from the Environment Agency to allow for Granny’s Bay to be redeveloped as part of the Sea Defense Project; bringing the overall Scheme value to £21,825,000.

The formal grant letter was received on 4th September 2018 and allows the sea defense walls at Granny’s Bay to be replaced along with the current work at Fairhaven and Church Scar headlands.

Negotiations are underway with VBA Ltd, the contractors working on Fairhaven and Church Scar currently, who have been commissioned to produce the detailed design.

At the moment great progress is being made at both sites. Church Scar is nearing completion with a planned finish of December 2018 and work is now starting at Fairhaven which is three months ahead of schedule, with a planned finish in October 2019, reported the Fylde Borough Council.

Cllr Roger Small, Chair of the Operational Management Committee, said “We’re thrilled to have obtained this further funding that puts the last piece of the jigsaw into place at the Fairhaven to Lytham stretch of coastline. I’m working closely with the project team and it’s great to see that we’ve managed to secure another £2m to replace the ageing defenses at Granny’s Bay too.”

The Sea Defense Project is replacing the sea walls, as the existing coastal defenses are time expired and have been failing. The current concrete coast defenses were built in the 1890s and have been undergoing emergency repairs every year to prevent a major breach.

The project will provide new coast protection as well as an upgrade to the promenades to help protect from flooding and make sure the area is both a great place to live and visit.