Hard Engineering: Heysham an Morecambe

Question 1

What council is in charge of this coastline?

Answer 1

Lancashire County Council

Question 2

How far does the coastline stretch?

Answer 2

The coastline stretches 8.5km.

Question 3

What are the current sea defences on the coastline a result of?

Answer 3

They are result of a comprehensive improvement scheme.

Question 4

How many phases were in this comprehensive improvement scheme?

Answer 4

It was a 7-phase programme.

Question 5

When did the programme take place?

Answer 5

It took place between 1989 and 2007.

Question 6

How much did the scheme cost?

Answer 6

£28million.

Question 7

What type of management methods does the scheme use?

Answer 7

It is a mix of traditional hard engineering strategies and also more contemporary methods to help improve the potential for sustainable development.

Question 8

What has been used to enhance and protect the sea wall?

Answer 8

Rock armour

Question 9

What is the rock armour made of?

Answer 9

It is made of locally sourced limestone.

Question 10

Where was the rip rap placed?

Answer 10

It was placed along the majority of sea walls and promenade, from the western end of the promenade to about 1km east of the town centre.

Question 11

What was the average weight of the boulders in the rip rap?

Answer 11

3.5 tonnes.

Question 12

What was the total weight of the rock armour installed?

Answer 12

436,000 tonnes.

Question 13

How many breakwaters/rock groynes were built?

Answer 13

Around 10.

Question 14

Where were the breakwaters/groynes built?

Answer 14

They were built at intervals in front of the town.

Question 15

What type of breakwaters were used?

Answer 15

A number of fish-tail break waters were used.

Question 16

How many tonnes of locally sourced limestone were used for the breakwaters and groynes?

Answer 16

Just under a million tonnes.

Question 17

What was repaired and reinforced and covered most of the length of the promenade?

Answer 17

The traditional concrete, recurved sea walls were repaired and reinforced.

Question 18

When did further improvements and repair of the traditional recurved sea wall begin?

Answer 18

It began in 2015.

Question 19

Where were the gabions placed?

Answer 19

They were placed in various locations along the coastline.

Question 20

How many gabion cages were used?

Answer 20

500

Question 21

What were the dimensions of the gabion cages?

Answer 21

2x1x1m

Question 22

What were the gabion cages filled with?

Answer 22

They were filled with small limestone boulders.

Question 23

What was repaired to the west of Heysham Head and extended to the port and nuclear power station?

Answer 23

The existing sea wall and revetments were repaired and left in place.

Question 24

What is Morecambe Bay’s classification?

Answer 24

It is a SSSI and a SAC.

Question 25

What does SSSI stand for?

Answer 25

It stands for Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Question 26

What does SAC stand for?

Answer 26

Special Area of Conservation

Question 27

What were the strategies designed to be?

Answer 27

They were designed to be sympathetic to Morecambe Bays classification of a SSSI and a SAC.

Question 28

What were the aims of the strategies?

Answer 28

To support the sustainable development of the shoreline.

Question 29

What did the rock armour, rock groynes and the coastline have in common?

Answer 29

They were all from the same geological origin- they were all from locally sourced limestone.

Question 30

What reduced the carbon footprint of transportation?

Answer 30

Most of the quarries were less than 10km away.

Question 31

What has the location of groynes allowed?

Answer 31

It has created a series of small bays which will encourage beach formation, this therefore acts as a soft engineering strategy to reinforce the hard sea defences.

Question 32

How many tonnes of sand were used for beach nourishment?

Answer 32

89,000 tonnes of sand was used.

Question 33

How many tonnes of shingle were used for beach nourishment?

Answer 33

19,000 tonnes of shingle.

Question 34

Where did the beach nourishment take place?

Answer 34

It took place between Heysham and the eastern end of the promenade.

Question 35

What did the groynes protect?

Answer 35

The residential area, town centre, hotels, guesthouses and seaside facilities.

Question 36

What did the gabions protect?

Answer 36

Residential areas and caravan parks.