Broomhill Sands coastal defence scheme
Updated 18 February 2021
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Broomhill Sands coastal defence scheme
Located between Camber Sands and Jury’s Gap, the Broomhill Sands coastal defences directly protect over 1,300 homes and more than 100 businesses, covering 2.4 kilometres from The Suttons, Camber to the western boundary of Lydd Ranges.
Completed in 2016 at a cost of £30 million, the improved standard of protection provided by the scheme is up to a flood event with a 0.5% (or 1 in 200 chance) of occurring in any given year.
The scheme has 3 main elements:
Rock revetment
A total of 266,936 tonnes of rock brought by sea from Norway were used to create the 1.7 kilometre-long rock revetment. The rock was placed to a specific design and our 360 excavator vehicles were fitted with GPS trackers to ensure the rock was placed accurately in position.
During construction each section of the rock revetment was inspected. This was to ensure structural stability that there were no oversized voids that could present a safety hazard.
Shingle embankment
Shingle offers an effective and natural defence against flooding. This needs regular maintenance and up to £1 million has been spent each year topping up the shingle at Broomhill Sands.
The scheme includes 8 new timber groynes at The Suttons. This is to stop shingle from shifting along the coast and requires less maintenance. The groyne bays have been filled with shingle from the existing beach, making the embankment wider and increasing the standard of protection.
The old timber groynes were recycled and made into a series of sculptures by local artist Will Nash. This was made possible with the aid of Arts Council England funding.
Wave wall
A 1.7 kilometre long concrete wave wall sits behind the rock revetment. This is to prevent waves from overtopping the structure and provides a 4.5 metre wide walk way for maintenance access to the wall and revetment.
The 536 pre-cast concrete units for the new wave wall were manufactured in the Netherlands, and delivered and installed on site. Over 11,000 cubic metres of concrete were used during the construction of the wave wall and promenade.
Access to the beach has been improved with a 4.5 metre wide promenade along the whole of its length. There are additional steps from the car park and access points for those less able to manage steps. A number of benches are available made from recycled groyne timbers and bicycle parking is available.
Photographs
Photographs of the work involved at Broomhill Sands can be found on the Environment Agency’s Flickr album.
Folkestone to Cliff End Strategy (FoCES)
Broomhill Sands coastal defence scheme forms part of the Folkestone to Cliff End Strategy (FoCES) approved by Defra in 2010. The strategy sets out our plans to manage flood and erosion risks along the coastline of Romney Marsh over the next 100 years, taking the predicted impacts of climate change into account.