(Image credit: Andy Beecroft (CC BY-SA 2.0))
Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, has welcomed the news that rock armour deliveries to protect the southern end of Withernsea are due to start arriving in May 2020.
This news follows on from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council securing funding of more than £3 million to go towards the coastal protection scheme. The total cost of the project is £5.5 million, with East Riding Council making up the £2.5 million shortfall.
The new defences will extend the existing rock armour by 400 metres as well as reworking the 100m rock structure already in place.
The defences are vital for securing the futures of Holmpton and Hollym Roads as well as the Newsham Gardens residential area. The roads are needed for blue light services to be able to reach communities to the south of Withernsea and also run over important infrastructure like the water mains as well as electric and IT cables.
Cllr Dave Tucker said, “I’ve been in touch with Council officers to find out what we can expect to see going on in Withernsea over the coming weeks. BAM Nuttall are sorting out all the preliminary work, site clearance, utilities, disconnections, orders for plant and materials etc and are programmed to start on site physically on 20 April, with the rock armour itself to follow in May.”
Graham added, “It seems an extraordinary feat that 63,000 tonnes of anorthosite rock armour will be sailed direct from the quarry at Rekefjord in Norway to Withernsea. Barges carrying 4,000 tonnes at a time will make their way across the North Sea, a journey expected to take about three days. Overall, there is expected to be around sixteen barge deliveries throughout the course of the works, which are programmed to commence in May and complete before the winter. The only caveat is that we don’t know if the Covid-19 pandemic will disrupt the plans.
“It’s been a great pleasure to work on landing this project with the South East Holderness Ward Councillors and ERYC officers. Everyone has put in a massive amount of work and effort to come up with the necessary £5.5m funding for this costly project, and it’s been anything but plain sailing along the way. So, thank you councillors and ERYC officers for your dedicated determination to bring certainty about the future to everyone who lives and works at the southern end of Withernsea.”
