Work Underway on Latest Phase of Portsea Coastal Defense Scheme

Work is progressing well on the latest phase of a scheme which will reduce the risk of coastal flooding for more than 4,500 homes and businesses on Portsea Island.

The £58m North Portsea Island Coastal Defense Scheme, which is being delivered by the Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership on behalf of Portsmouth City Council, is being completed in five phases.

Mackley was selected from a shortlist of four experienced contractors to carry out the fourth phase of the scheme – which has been split into two sections, near Kendall’s Wharf and at Eastern Road.

Sheet piling works for the 2km sea defense wall have commenced. The wall is divided into two sections: the northern section is an encasement of the existing concrete wall, while the southern section involves a new structure built seaward of the existing wall.

Other works currently underway include the testing of panels for the new wall, which incorporate a surface that will encourage habitats to develop in the intertidal areas.

Further down the line the project will also involve the construction of an embankment and raising the access road.

Mackley previously worked on Portsea Island to deliver the first phase of coastal defenses at Anchorage Park in 2015, which enhanced protection to the area and vastly improved public areas through effective landscaping.

The £6m Anchorage Park scheme involved the construction of 1.4km of coastal defenses along the north of the island between Ports Creek Railway Bridge and Kendall’s Wharf. The works have reduced the risk of coastal flooding and erosion to the area over the next 100 years.