Weymouth Harbour walls to be rebuilt at Nothe Parade to prevent floods

Dorset Council is to start vital strengthening work on January 4 to repair the 45-metre 'section C' of the harbour walls along Nothe Parade - part of a £1.9 million funding allocation.

Initially planned to begin in October 2021, the harbour wall project was hit by unforeseen costs last year.

The council hopes the essential work will maintain the life of the wall by a minimum of 20 years, with further work to raise and strengthen the harbour walls required in 2040.

It follows recent studies that reveal the potentially catastrophic effect of flooding upon the town if defences are not strengthened, as flood incidents in Dorset have more than tripled over a two-year period - with a "robust prediction" of an acceleration in sea-level rise and increased severe weather threatening the local economy, property market and jobs.

%image('13301247', type="article-full", alt="Flooding on Custom House Quay last year")

Reported flood incidents in the county rose from 30 in 2019 to 104 in 2020 - an increase of more than 240 per cent – according to figures produced by Dorset Council last month.

Read more: 

• Harbour wall repair project hit by 'higher than expected' costs
• Figures show floods in Dorset more than tripled over two-year period
• Details released on Weymouth Harbour's crumbling walls

A flood risk study commissioned by the council in 2020 indicated that as many as 440 properties around the harbour are at risk if no action is taken - rising to more than 2,000 properties by 2120. Investment in excess of £115 million will be required to protect the town over the next one-hundred years.

%image('13301245', type="article-full", alt="Significant investment is needed to protect the town as floods threaten roads and the economy")

The report states that without significant investment in flood defences, "Weymouth faces increasing direct losses through flooded assets and infrastructure and indirect impacts such as a failing property market due to blight and increasing social deprivation." Besides strengthening and raising harbour walls, a flood defence barrier in the harbour is also recommended.

• Read more: Floods leave Weymouth restaurant £3k out of pocket

In the meantime, however, next month's harbour wall project will see a small part of the road along Nothe Parade closed to vehicles and pedestrians for one week, starting from Monday January 10, to allow for the safe demolition of the jetty structure near Nelson’s Wharf outside the Old Harbour Dive shop and lifeboat station.

%image('13301229', type="article-full", alt="Wall C, marked in red, is to be rebuilt")

Then, 45 metres of quay wall either side of the historic slipway will be strengthened. This involves cleaning and painting the steel sheet piles, filling any voids behind the wall and plating over any holes in the piles. Work to strengthen the masonry blocks and pointing below the bridge will also be completed. All work is expected to be completed by March 31 2022.

• Read more: 'Weymouth is at serious risk of being underwater'
• Read more: Major £115m harbour walls replacement project might be brought forward as walls corrode

Councillor Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment said: “This work is essential to maintain the integrity of the walls so that the Harbour can continue to be enjoyed as it is for many years.

"While there will be some minor disruption, we have worked hard to make sure this is for as short a time as possible and so that it will not affect the main visitor season. I’d like to thank residents for their patience while this work is ongoing.

%image('13301226', type="article-full", alt="Increased severe weather also threatens The Esplanade")

Cllr Bryan added: “Dorset Council is investing significantly in Weymouth at the moment with public realm improvement work around the harbour and remodelling of the railway station. Weymouth and everything it offers is incredibly important to Dorset’s economic growth and we must make every effort to maintain and enhance it for future generations to enjoy.”

%image('13301252', type="article-full", alt="Flood risk areas posed by 1 in 50, 1 in 100 and 1 in 200-year major flood events ")

The project to rebuild section 'D' of the harbour wall along Custom House Quay was completed in August 2020. The next phase of construction work will be carried out by Dorset Council’s contractors, Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group and Knights Brown Construction Ltd.

Visit www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/strengthening-works-to-weymouth-harbour-wall-c for more information and project updates.