Improving Kent’s coastline

June 23, 2020, by Eldin Ganic

Works are underway to improve sea defenses along a 3.7km stretch of the Kent coastline between Hythe and Dymchurch, the beach frontage of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) firing range, said Mackley in their latest release.

The Hythe Ranges Sea Defence project is being carried out by Van Oord working in partnership with Mackley and on behalf of the Environment Agency.

A key element of the scheme is the refurbishment of timber groynes, with Mackley installing a total of 23 groynes – the longest of which is 104 metres – in two phases.

Phase one of the groyne refurbishment – which got underway in April and is now complete – saw Mackley install the first eight groynes and repair a number of others.

Phase two is now in progress, with the remainder of the groynes set to be refurbished by October.

One of the main aims of the project is to protect the Dymchurch Redoubt, a scheduled historic moment. The protection includes a new rock revetment and sheet piled wall, the company said.

In July, 38,000t of imported rock will be shipped to the site via a coaster, before being transferred to a barge for delivery to the foreshore.

The construction of a new steel sheet pile wall take place behind the existing seawall, in order to reinforce the structure, said Mackley.