Bournemouth Beach Scheme
| Client | Bournemouth Borough Council | Value | £7m |
| Location | Bournemouth | Contract | ICE 6th |
| Date | December 2006- January 2007 | Duration | 6 weeks |
Project Information
Bournemouth is one of the most popular seaside resorts along the UK coastline. Situated on the south coast, the town is fronted by sand/gravel cliffs with a concrete seawall stabilising the toe and imported beach material seaward of the wall to protect it against undermining. Income from tourism also plays an essential role in providing for the local community, with their golden sands drawing thousands of tourists each year.
Work started in December 2006 with over 900,000m3 of sand being pumped ashore in just six weeks. Sand was sourced from our own Licence Area (451), located south of the Isle of Wight. As the largest Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger to work on sea defences in UK waters, the ‘Oranje’ transported approximately 12,500m3 of sand per load for delivery to the beach.
Handling the very large deliveries required careful planning, with the shoreline needing extending as the pump ashore continued. Specially designed extension pieces were added to the 1m diameter steel shoreline without interrupting the flow of material; this required expert handling by the plant operatives and proved an innovative method in reducing cycle times and hence project costs. The project was completed on time and to budget.