Weekly update – 9 June 2023
Good vibrations
We’ll be conducting piling work at frontage four (Southsea Castle) from 21 June for two weeks, using a crane from a floating barge (weather permitting, all going well). Piles will be installed in front of the rock, with navigation markers placed on top. This will provide navigation limits for daytime small craft, reducing the risk of them straying over the submerged rock at high water.
The piling work will start with a vibratory hammer to vibrate the pile until it reaches depth. If soil conditions are too hard, we’ll revert to percussive piling. There will be some noise associated with this work but this should only be on four days when we are driving the piles into the ground. On the other days, we will be positioning the barge and placing the navigation markers.
Let it grow!
Over at Long Curtain Moat we’re continuing to ‘green the grey’ with installation of all plants in the planting beds. We hope the plants thrive in the warmer conditions. You will notice rope fencing around the plant beds to keep the plants safe and we ask visitors to please walk around these areas, not across the beds. Also here we’ve planted a hedge alongside the Clarence Pier Carpark.
Gap, be Gomme!
Work on the historic Bernard de Gomme wall near Southsea Castle is powering along with shingle being poured between the historic structure and the concrete wall that will encase it. We’re putting the shingle between two layers of geotextile fabric to protect the structure and maintain its stability.
Heritage hotspot
It was a heritage-focused occasion when the Environment Agency’s team of landscape design architects and archaeologists visited us for their recent site-based learning day. It was great to have the opportunity to discuss our heritage and archaeological considerations and the opportunities these have presented.
It was a positive day for all and we received some lovely feedback: “We were certainly impressed by how heritage has clearly been used to influence the solution and the quality of the outcome you are achieving even with your risks being realised.”
Share This: