| Pevensey Bay's Sea Defences consist of a shingle bank that extends for 9km between Eastbourne and Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex. Immediately inland there is an area of some 50sq.km that includes over 10,000 properties, several caravan parks and important road and rail links. It is also home to the ecologically sensitive Pevensey Levels, which would be inundated by salt water every high tide if the defences were permanently breached. The Pevensey Bay Contract is the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) flood defence scheme to be let in the U.K. and, as a pathfinder project (HM Treasury designated), its success or failure is likely to be significant in future flood defence procurement policy. Following an initial upgraded of the shingle bank by adding 200,000m³ and replacing some key groynes to maintain historic discontinuities of the shore line, the beach is managed on a day to day basis by adding ~25,000m³ per year on the down drift end and recycling material over shorter stretches between areas of accumulation and erosion. Beach surveys are carried out every month to provide the monitoring necessary to fulfil the contract and to provide information for the management. |
