Heacham and Snettisham

Client:  Environment Agency

Approx. value:  £4m

Duration:  20 weeks

The project involved the placing of approximately 230,000m3 of sea dredged material to enhance and stabilise the existing sea defence embankment.  Particular issues associated with this site included nesting plovers, continued public use of the beach and a very flat beach making access for marine plant difficult.  These factors therefore required an innovative solution.

Sand and gravel was dredged from a licensed area off Skegness and then delivered to a transshipment point 30km south and offshore of Hunstanton.  From here 3 shallow draught barges were manoeuvred into position by tugs and loaded in succession.  The barges were then towed to a holding mooring to await towage to a mooring established 50m off the beach.  Each barge on arrival at the beach had a 90 minute tidal window to discharge its 800m3 of cargo.  This was achieved using a 60t excavator, which remained on board.