Haysham And Morecambe - Coastal Defence

Question 1

What four defence options does Lancashire Country Council have

Answer 1

Hold the Line
Do nothing but monitor
Retreat the Line
Advance the line

Question 2

How long is the coastline

Answer 2

8.5jm

Question 3

What are the current defences a result of

Answer 3

A comprehensive improvement scheme of the existing structures during a seven-phase programme between 1980-2007 costing £28 million.

Question 4

What did the seven-phase programme include

Answer 4

A mix of contemporary methods to improve the potential for sustainable management

Question 5

Which 2 defence options are used along the coast

Answer 5

Do Nothing

Hold the Line

Question 6

Where is the strategy of doing nothing used

Answer 6

On the Sandstone cliffs of Haysham head - site of historical and ecological importance

Question 7

What is Hold the Line used to protect

Answer 7

Heysham nucleus power station at Heysham point.
Residential areas including caravan parks.
Town centre including traditional seaside resort facilities.
Hotels.
Promenade.

Question 8

What hard engineering strategies are used

Answer 8

Rock armour 
Rock groynes
Traditional received sea wall
Gabions
Concrete revetments

Question 9

How is rock armour used to protect the existing sea wall

Answer 9

Boulders of locally sourced limestone places along the majority of the existing promenade and sea walls from the western end of the promenade to about one kilometre each or the town centre.

Question 10

How many tonnes of rock armour was installed

Answer 10

436,000

Question 11

How were rock groynes used to protect the coast

Answer 11

Around 10 breakwaters and rock groynes were built at intervals in front of the town. These include a number of fish-rail breakwaters.

Question 12

How many tonnes of locally sourced limestone boulders were used in the rock groynes

Answer 12

Just under a million

Question 13

How was a traditional recurved sea wall used to protect the coast

Answer 13

Much of the length of the promenade in front of both heysham and morecambe had existing traditional recurved concrete sea walls. In places these were repaired and reinforced.

Question 14

Why were the recurved sea walls repaired and reinforced in 2015

Answer 14

Because it was a project of further improvements

Question 15

How were gabions used as a coastal defence

Answer 15

Over 500 cages, measuring 2 x 1 x 1, filled with small limestone boulders were used in various locations to reinforce the coast

Question 16

How were concrete revetments used to protect the coast

Answer 16

To the West of Heysham Head, extending to the port and power station, the existing sea wall and large concrete revetments were repaired and left in place

Question 17

What were the 2 soft engineering used

Answer 17

Beach formation

Beach nourishment

Question 18

How did Beach formation reinforce hard defences

Answer 18

Location of break waters and groynes means there is an encouragement of beach formation

Question 19

How was beach nourishment used to protect the coast

Answer 19

89,000 tonnes of sand, 19,000 tonnes of shingle used between Heysham and the eastern end of the promenade

Question 20

Although a range of traditional hard engineering strategies were implemented, how were they designed

Answer 20

To be sympathetic to Morecambe Bay’s classification as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and aimed to support the sustainable development of the shoreline

Question 21

Example of a strategy being sustainable and being sympathetic to Morecambe classification

Answer 21

The local sourcing of limestone for the rock armour and rock groynes meant that it was of the same geological origin as the rocks of the coastline - most of the quarries were less than 10km away so reduced the carbon footprint of its transpiration

Question 22

What is Morecambe Bay’s classification

Answer 22

A Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation