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Further information on Beach Nourishment and Navigational
Dredge projects
Urgent Interim Works June 2007
Havant Borough Council applied for funding for a full Beach
Nourishment scheme to place 150,000m3 of material
on the southern frontage of the Eastoke Peninsula.
Unfortunately, the Department for Environment, Food &
Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced at the end of 2006 that there was
no funding to carry out the full scheme to raise the beach to the
required 1 in 200 year standard of protection.
However, the council managed to obtain funding from DEFRA
and the Environment Agency for interim urgent works for a small
portion of the material to raise the beach level and the standard
of protection in the mean time. This urgent
interim work was carried out in two stages. The first
stage was completed in June 2007 when approximately
60,000m3 of the required material was placed on the
frontage.
The second stage was undertaken the following October when
approximately 20,000m3 of material was placed
on the frontage by the same method.
Chichester Harbour is a thriving recreational boating
harbour and maintenance of the approach channel is therefore
essential for the safe passage of vessels in and out of the
harbour. Working collaboratively with the Harbour Conservancy, the
nourishment material was sourced from the navigational maintenance
dredge of this approach channel. This ensures that material is not
lost from the sediment system: The 'beneficial use of
arisings'.
The Council appointed Westminster Dredging Ltd
who undertook the works using the dredging vessel "Sospan
Dau" which was previously used for similar works at
Eastoke in 2002 and 1997. The vessel was a trailing
suction hopper dredger, approximately 70 metres long and capable of
holding 900 cubic metres of sand and gravel. The dredger had a
shallow draft and a jet pump ashore facility, which enables the
vessel to come very close inshore and "rainbow" the material
directly into its preferred location.
Beach nourishment 2002
The 2002 project was carried out as part of
the Council's Beach Management Strategy Plan for the southern
frontage of the Eastoke peninsula.
Officers at Havant Borough Council secured grant aid
of £100,000 from the Department for Environment, Food
& Rural Affairs (DEFRA) who funded the works.
The Council appointed Westminster Dredging Ltd to undertake
the works which were carried out in May and June 2002 using the
dredging vessels "Sospan" and "Sospan Dau" using the same
"rainbowing" method.
The works were undertaken at this time of year so that the
material would be sorted by wave and tide throughout the summer
period in order to develop a natural resilience to the winter
storms.
The material was sourced from the navigational
maintenance dredge of the approach channel to Chichester
Harbour.
Extensive post project monitoring of both Hayling Island and
the Witterings was carried out to ensure that any effects
of the operation were identified and that suitable mitigation
measures were implemented.
The beach nourishment works restored the beach levels and
improved the standard of protection against storm events.
1997 Navigational Dredge and Beach Recharge
The 1997 project was undertaken in partnership with the
Chichester Harbour Conservancy, involving the removal of over
25,000 cubic meters of shingle from the entrance to Chichester
Harbour. The arisings were then deposited onto the southern
shoreline of the Eastoke peninsula, which successfully extended the
life of the beach and improved the standard of protection.