Our flood mitigation plan delivered with ecological sensitivity enhances a popular place for communing with nature
The impacts of climate change are relentless. A six-kilometre (3.7-mile) length of the Lincolnshire Wash Coastline frontage was vulnerable to breaches, and a tidal surge in 2013 galvanised landowners to demand action. With over 3,400 hectares (8,400 acres) of prime farmland and 460 domestic and industrial properties threatened, we provided civil engineering, ecological, geotechnical, and project management services to raise the Wrangle Sea Bank and mitigate tidal inundation.
The first UK flood project to attract EU funding required tremendous sensitivity, with numerous measures to preserve the natural ecology. The bank’s seaward side is sensitive marshland designated as part of The Wash site of special scientific interest (SSSI), RAMSAR, SPA, and SAC area. Works were carefully designed and implemented within strict constraints to mitigate disturbance to birds. We even arranged for organically-raised cattle to have access to grazing areas to control vegetation. Following geotechnical investigations, over 200,000 cubic metres (7 million cubic feet) of selected material was excavated from fields on the landward side to raise the defences.
Land restoration resulted in 10 hectares (25 acres) of new habitat which are expected to become a haven for wildlife and an attractive feature for walkers on the new coastal path.
At a Glance
- Offices
- Client
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- Witham Fourth Internal Drainage
- Partners
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- Environment Agency
- Lincolnshire County Council
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