Update 14/12/19
Recycling has stopped for now and hopefully won’t need to restart until the New Year. Machines that finished yesterday are parked in the Environment Agency depot so are ready should the strong winds return over Christmas. From Monday road lorries will be bypassing shingle round Sovereign Harbour for five days. Hopefully that will be the final phase of beach works before Christmas
Update 28/11/19
Last night’s storm was not as bad as initially predicted, although waves over the last 48 hours or so have drawn shingle down the beach. Whilst the weather remains uncertain we will continue to move shingle with the four dump trucks already on the beach. For the remainder of this week work will shift to Beachlands and Normans Bay, precise locations depending on access available at high water. From Monday machines will return to Cooden from where beach will be returned to East Stream, Normans Bay and Beachlands.
Update 14/11/19
The storm two weeks ago arrived just after completion of the last recycle and – fortunately – a couple of days after the 8.0mCD tides had receded.
Nevertheless, the beach was drawn down in many places and now requires another phase of recycling. Last time the focus was in the east, so, initially at least, works starting on Monday 18th will look to replenish Sovereign Harbour. Shingle will be taken from the area between Pevensey outfall and ‘The Kiosk’, with just material in the ridge part way up the beach being used.
It is likely that this will continue all next week. The following week, machines are expected to move east to Beachlands, Normans Bay and Herbrand Walk so that all areas are reinforced as the next series of spring tides arrive that week
Update 25/10/19
The last of the 8.0m tides for this year are with us this weekend and into early next week. Apart from a windy night tonight, it looks like most of the biggest tides will be accompanied by north to easterly winds, thus posing little threat to the defences.
Nevertheless, we arranged for machines to be here and ready for any eventuality. The result is a week of recycling, primarily from Cooden, moving shingle to Normans Bay and Beachlands. This will start on Monday 28th and finish on Friday 1st November
I will be away from the office for most of next week so if you have any comment on the works as they progress please contact either:
Update 15/10/19
Bypassing shingle round Sovereign Harbour will finish tomorrow afternoon. Thereafter for 10 days or so we expect just to have bulldozers pushing in various locations.
In all probability we will have dump trucks back to recycle shingle from Cooden back to Herbrand Walk, Normans Bay East and Beachlands starting Monday 28 October. Although this is half term it also another period with three 8.0mCD tides, so having the trucks here and working will be extra security in case storms appear on the highest tides
Update 02/10/19
High tides and gales in the early part of the week have resulted in a significant build-up of shingle on the south side of Sovereign Harbour. This needs to be removed from the beach, and bypassed to the north side of the marina, before it is lost into the harbour’s approach channel.
Work will start to move this material on Monday 7th October, between 07:30 and 17:30, and is expected to go through the first week and perhaps into two or three days of the second week.
Update 27/09/19
Autumn has now arrived and with it the highest tides for the year this weekend and into early next week. Although water levels will be particularly high on Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes, there is no expectation of big waves. Nevertheless I am sure there will be erosion to the front of beach crest throughout the spring tide period.
With that in mind a recycling team has started to arrive and machines will start first thing on Monday morning. Initially they will head towards Beachlands and Normans Bay, but will be moved around as required by the weather. It is likely that these works plus a first tranche of harbour bypassing will keep machines active for most of October.
We also expect dredger Sospan Dau on the south coast for works at Pevensey and Eastbourne but timing for these works will be controlled by both the weather.
Updates will be provided as the situation becomes more clear
Update 02/05/19
The final throes of winter beach maintenance have been rather disjointed, but I am sure you will be glad to hear there are only three more days when we plan to use dumper trucks. Tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday they will move shingle from the Kiosk area up to 'White Horses' and Sovereign Harbour. The beach at the Kiosk will not be narrowed, only shingle from the berm in front of the crest or from lower down the beach will be used.
Once the dumpers leave, the bulldozer will work Thursday and Friday to generally tidy up and remove track marks ahead of summer
Update 08/04/19
Although gales in early March did not threaten the beach crest, they caused substantial erosion to the beach just below the crest. In many ways this was worse than usual because waves were more westerly than southwesterly, meaning that shingle was pushed further east more quickly.
Recycling will restart today with dumpers moving shingle from Pevensey outfall to Sovereign Harbour. Some shingle is also likely to taken from the lower beach in the area of the kiosk as well. We expect to work until Friday 12th and then stop for the remainder of the school holidays, with work beginning again on Tuesday 23rd April
By the end of the month it is expected that machines will work along many areas of the frontage making the final preparations for summer
Update 29/03/19
Plans for the next two weeks have changed slightly. The total lack of wind and waves this week has meant that much of the shingle drawn down the beach in gales earlier this month is not being pushed back up into ridges along the high water mark. Whilst this has not been a problem this week as tides have been favourable and we have been able to excavate lower down, it will not be the case next week when high water is in the middle of the day.
So next week will be just the bulldozer reprofiling and helping shingle back up the beach
Recycling will restart on Monday 8th April. At the latest work will then stop on Friday 12th until after Easter Monday (22nd), unless of course the weather dictates otherwise. Hopefully any remaining shingle moving can be completed by the end of April
Update 25/03/19
Although storms a week or so ago did not threaten the beach crest, they did scour the middle of the beach, resulting in some cliffing and generally steep slopes.
This is being addressed by what I hope will be a final round of recycling for the winter. Two weeks work started today with dumpers moving shingle from Cooden to Normans Bay, before latterly moving to Beachlands and Sovereign Harbour. If possible we will try to avoid trucks working over Easter holidays, although with further 7.7mCD tides to come over Easter, there is always the possibility that further work may be required. The bulldozer will continue as usual, except over Easter Bank Holidays
Update 08/03/19
There has been enough wind in the last week or so to push surplus shingle right up against Sovereign Harbour’s southern breakwater. In order to reduce the risk of this sediment getting into the outer harbour we will be undertaking a final week of bypassing for this winter starting on Monday 11 March and finishing on Friday 15 March. Working hours will be 07:30 to 17:30 each day.
With more gales to come this weekend and into the early part of next week, it is inevitable that a further round of recycling between Cooden and Sovereign Harbour will also be necessary, but this is unlikely to start before Monday 25 March
Update 20/02/19
The higher set of February tides are now upon us, but with the forecast set fair, they should cause us no problems. That being the case, the dumpers will continue to deliver shingle to Normans Bay East today and tomorrow, before they will finish working on Friday at Beachlands.
It is not impossible that we will get through March without a gale or two, but I suspect a further week of recycling might be necessary in March or April before we can safely say spring has arrived. It is also likely that one further week of bypassing shingle round Sovereign Harbour will be carried out before the end of March.
All in all it has not been a bad winter thus far. We have had some substantial storms in March before, so it is by no means certain that winter is done and dusted just yet
Update 10/01/19
The few storms we have had since October have built shingle up against the southern breakwater of Sovereign Harbour. On Monday we will start one week of bypassing the surplus shingle round to the north harbour.
No further plans have been made as Northerly winds seem set to dominate for the rest of the month
Kind regards
Ian
Ian ThomasUpdated: Friday, January 17, 2020 19:54