Heysham + Morecambe Flashcards
where ?
8.5km stretch of coast in Lancashire, UK.
strategy 1 ?
Rock armour (locally sourced limestone) used to protect existing sea wall from Western end of promenade to one km east of town centre. 436,000 tonnes of rock armour installed.
Strategy 2 ?
10 breakwaters and rock groynes placed at intervals in-front of the town. Including fishtail breakwaters. Just under 1 million tonnes of locally sourced limestone boulders used.
Strategy 3 ?
Recurved sea wall fronting the promenade was repaired and reinforced. Between 2015-2018, 4km of 30 year-old sea wall was replaced with “state of the art” decorative wave reflection and flood wall.
How much did the new sea wall cost and what did it protect ?
Cost £11 million.
Protects 11,400 homes and 2,246 commercial properties.
Designed to last for 100 years.
Strategy 4 ?
Over 500 gabions filled with small limestone boulders placed in various locations to reinforce the coast.
Strategy 5 ?
A concrete revetment and sea wall were added to the west of Heysham head, extending to the port and power station. The existing sea wall and concrete revetments were repaired and left in place.
Why were the hard engineering strategies designed in a particular way ?
Morecambe bay is an SSSI and SAC.
e.g. the local limestone meant it was of the same geological origin as the rocks of the coast. Most of the quarries were less than 10km away reducing carbon footprint.
How else did the strategies help the environment?
The location of breakwaters and groynes created a small series of bays to encourage beach formation. Acts as a soft engineering strategy to reinforce the hard.
What soft engineering strategy was used ?
Beach nourishment between Heysham and eastern end of promenade. (89,000 tonnes of sand and 19,000 tonnes of shingle)
How much did the whole project cost ?
£30 million
How was the project tailored to the public ?
Designed to be aesthetically attractive and improve social amenities. Combined cycle and walking paths, playgrounds and various artistic elements
