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| Sefton Coast Partnership | Shoreline Management | Nature and Wildlife | Coastal Heritage | Visiting the Coast | Students and Teachers | Coastlines | |
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Summer 1997Southport's Sea WallArticle by Tony Smith, Sefton Technical Services Department Work on Southport’s new sea wall and promenade started in February 1997 and the first phase should be completed by the end of the year. The new sea defences are the culmination of the longstanding development of Southport’s seafront. The original Promenade and sea wall date from 1835 when the town was rapidly developing as a seaside resort. The first Marine Drive was a causeway, covered by the highest tides, enclosing a lagoon which was later developed to form Pleasureland and Princes Park. In 1959, a new embankment was built on the shore, extending Marine Drive north east to Fairway. Later embankments extended the route north to Crossens and south to Weld Road. The central Marine Drive remained at its original level and was frequently washed over by the sea, leading to regular closure, occasional storm damage and littering by tide-borne debris. The new sea wall will safeguard the low-lying land in the central seafront against tidal flooding, enabling it to be regenerated for leisure developments and removing the need for road closures. The sea wall will include a sloping revetment, a crest plateau and wave return wall adjoining the beach. A new promenade, raised above the road level, will help separate the very different characters of the highway and beach, whilst giving a sheltered viewing platform for seafront visitors. The plans include high quality features, such as lighting, seating, obelisks at access points, coloured surface treatments and footway ramps to the road and beach. The special character of the Southport coastline has been kept at the forefront of the design process. The broad expanse of the Ribble Estuary gains interest from the ever changing aspect of the shore, sea, horizon and sky. Sunset views can be outstanding. Whilst the whole Sefton Coast is now internationally recognised and protected, the Ribble Estuary has a very special importance for bird life, particularly as a haven for wintering and migrating waders. In keeping with the aims of the Sefton Coast Management Scheme, a design philosophy of minimum interference with natural processes was adopted. The sand dunes which are slowly spreading north from Birkdale will be conserved and their future growth will benefit from the design of the scheme. A precautionary approach was taken to the possibility of sea level rise or beach erosion. The Ribble Estuary is slowly returning to a more natural condition following the closure of Preston Port and the cessation of dredging and training work. These activities helped move the navigable deep water channels away from Southport. Changes are now evident at the mouth of the Ribble which may bring the former sea channels back towards Southport. It is not possible to identify firm evidence of increased sea level rise at present but the world climate has warmed and storm intensities have increased in recent years. The sea defences have been designed to allow future raising or strengthening which might be needed to respond to adverse changes. Two further phases are planned to provide a consistent standard of sea defence. The existing flanking defences from just north of the Weld Road roundabout to Fairway are slightly substandard in their crest levels and structurally deficient as a result of their relatively lightweight construction. The sloping walls will be replaced with identically sited but stronger structures, with a low wave wall at their crest. It has taken many years to obtain government approval for the present work. The plans have been closely vetted by the Local Planning Authority, the Government funding agency, MAFF, English Nature, the Environment Agency and Europe. Changes have been included to meet public, environmental and political concerns. The scheme has been financed through a combination of Objective 1 European Community and MAFF sea defence grant. Both are obtained and administered through the Government Office for Merseyside. Contractors, Harbour and General Works Ltd, from Gateshead, have a successful local record of port and coastal defence projects. In partnership with Sefton, they are seeking to minimise any public inconvenience during construction.
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