Completion of Essex sea wall set to protect 3000 homes and businesses
Completion of Essex sea wall set to protect 3000 homes and businesses
BAM has completed a £12m Environment Agency project to improve Cockett Wick seawall, protecting vulnerable communities from tidal flooding.
Tidal flooding has affected communities at Cockett Wick, between Jaywick and Seawick in Essex, for several years and the Cockett Wick seawall improvement scheme will ensure 3,000 homes and businesses are better protected from tidal flooding.
The works included the addition of 14,000 tonnes of Norwegian granite, as well as the installation of more than 150 steel piles and 330 metres (1,083ft) of reinforced concrete footpath and seawall.
Decarbonisation was at the heart of decision-making on the project. Working in close collaboration, BAM, the Environment Agency and design consultant Jacobs, amended the design to use 152 recycled steel tube piles rather than new steel sheet piles, saving over 1,000 tonnes of carbon.
Further carbon savings were achieved by transporting the revetment rock in 6 barge movements instead of 700 flatbed lorry-loads, saving 48 tonnes of carbon. Some 1,200 tonnes of surplus rock were redistributed to support several local collaboration projects with landowners to protect seawalls from erosion.
The project also generated more than one million pounds worth of local social economic value. Community activities included demonstrations at local schools, taking on 2 work experience students, raising £1,400 for a local charity and hosting regular drop-in sessions.
Robert Harvey, project manager for BAM Nuttall, said:
“We are delighted to have worked collaboratively with the Environment Agency and Jacobs on the Cockett Wick project, providing a successful flood defence scheme for the area, with sustainability, innovation and the local area at its core, benefitting generations to come.”
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: "The completion of the Cockett Wick Seawall Improvement project ensures thousands of homes and businesses in one of the most vulnerable areas of the country will receive better protection from the growing threat of tidal flooding."
John Lindsay, Essex coastal engineer for the Environment Agency, said: “We’re delighted that the Cockett Wick seawall improvements scheme is now finished. The work will make a real difference to providing long-term flood protection for the local community, protecting homes and businesses and supporting the future growth, investment and regeneration of Jaywick.”
