Coastal flood defence Scheme

Background

Thanet has few areas of low lying land that are at risk of flooding from the sea, however the densely populated Old Town area of Margate falls within one of these areas. 

The financial cost of damage to property in the old town area resulting from a major flooding event could be as much as £70m.  Such a flooding event could also put the safety of residents and the public at risk so a new scheme is very important for the future protection of the area and the people who live in it.  Flooding events have happened before at Margate such as the storm on 31st January 1953 when sea water overtopped the old defences leaving water 1.2 metres deep in the Old Town area.  The Stone Pier was also badly damaged in the storm and the lighthouse on the end of the Stone Pier was totally destroyed.

The existing flood defence (the sea wall) was constructed in the late 1950’s and is now in need of replacement.  The long term effects of climate change on sea levels mean that a simple ‘like for like’ replacement of the defences would not be suitable.  New flood defences must therefore be designed with the future in mind and must also have a long service life.

New scheme for Margate

A new flood defence scheme for Margate has been developed and designed over the last 2 years to provide future protection for the town.  The standard of flood defence is currently as low as 1:20, this means anything more severe than a 1 in 20 year storm would cause flooding in the town.  The new scheme will increase this defence standard to 1:200 for the next 50 years. 

Cost of the scheme

The total cost of the new scheme will be about £6.2m.  The scheme is 100% grant funded through a national budget for flood and erosion defence which is administered by the Environment Agency.  The Council received final confirmation that it had been successful in securing this funding in August 2010.

Timetable of work

Some of the flood defence works were started in October last year and have already been completed.  The works in question are immediately adjacent to the Turner Contemporary Gallery and were deliberately accelerated to avoid the disruption they would otherwise have caused in the area.  This was however only about 15% of the work required and the remaining 85% of the scheme know as Phase 2 will start in October this year.  The scheme is likely to take just over a year to finish and all works should be completed by Christmas 2012.

View more information about the design of the new sea flood defence scheme.

Engineering & Technical Services

Tel: 01843 577083

E-mail: coastalengineers@thanet.gov.uk