Weekly update – 27 May 2022

Tie in

The tie in connecting the old sea walls and new sea walls completed this week.  It is future proof designed so that if we ever need to pull the new defence walls back in the future, the old walls would not be impacted.  This image is testament to the hard work our team put into the design and stone choice in the new walls to sympathetically match existing structures. We have also reinstated the old rock apron alongside a sloping concrete base which is part of the egress route from the sea to the steps out of the water in the event of emergency.

Making the most of our assets

Portsmouth is so lucky to have some historic jewels hidden away throughout the city – and we are making the most of these valuable assets in the public realm design at Long Curtain Moat.  In the photo is the reinforcement (steel structure to strengthen concrete) and formwork (mould for concrete to be poured in to create the wall) for the new promenade walls that are being built around the front of the historic walls and the Spur Redoubt. The promenade is designed so that we are able to walk closer than before to the old fortifications and see them up close without disturbing them.

Eat. Sleep. Rock. Repeat.

Rock, rock and more rock. We continue on in the same way as we have since April, taking rock deliveries from the sea and building our rock armour defence at Southsea Castle. Some fun facts today: We have now installed 200m of the rock armour, with 47 rips (sections) of geotextile and 320m3 of seed rocks which will encourage our rare Purple Sandpiper birds to continue roosting in the area in season.

We publish regular updates on the schedule of rock work in the Resources section of our website. Please note that all work is dependent on WPAGW (Weather Permitting, All Going Well).

Rock the night away

We have had a few queries about working with rocks during the night in the area around Southsea Castle. As part of our Planning Permission, there is a condition that marine works such as rock placement and delivery are not constrained to normal working hours of 07:00 to 19:00 Monday to Friday and can be scheduled 24/7. In addition, due to the need to work around tidal conditions, we have a condition in our Contract Scope that permits marine works on a 24/7 basis: Marine works, that are tidally restricted such as rock deliveries and placement, are exempt from the working hours.

Our rock work is for completion by the end of September this year. We appreciate your patience over this time and, as always, we will monitor noise throughout the works and try to minimise disturbance as much as possible.

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