HARBOUR PROTECTION PROJECT GOING AHEAD!
Background
As many of you will know, Lymington is losing its harbour because of the erosion of the salt marsh that has historically provided the protection to shelter the harbour.
This phenomenon is not local to the marshes adjacent to the Lymington river, but has been occurring along the whole North Solent coastline since the 1920s. Erosion is predominantly caused by the effects of sea level rise and natural wave action. The greatest rates of erosion are occurring on the exposed edges of salt marsh facing the Solent.
Unless urgent action is taken soon, much of the harbour will become untenable for moorings and recreational use as it is enjoyed today. Many local businesses and tourism that depend on the harbour will also suffer. A study on behalf of the Lymington Chamber of Commerce in 2006 estimated that the harbour contributes £93 million per annum to the local economy and supports 966 local jobs.
The Commissioners started working on a solution to protect the harbour some 6 years ago. Much of this time has been taken undertaking consultation and environmental studies to identify any impacts on the protected salt marsh and intertidal mud habitat prior to lodging our application for environmental and regulatory consents. The preferred solution identified was to build stone breakwaters on either side of the river, in a multi phased approach, with the timing of each phase being determined by the rate at which the salt marsh recedes. For further details, please click HERE to download a PDF copy of the ‘Environmental Statement – Non Technical Summary’.
Update
In December 2008 we finally received approval from the environmental and regulatory authorities to proceed with Phases 1 and 2. Unfortunately, tenders for the construction of Phase 1 were higher than expected and as reported in our stakeholder update of the 6th April 2009, the Commissioners decided to delay the project by one year in order to take advantage of predicted market conditions going forward and to critically review the detailed design and construction methods to identify areas where costs could be reduced.
Subsequent work on ‘value-engineering’ has moderated the costs following a second tender exercise and on the 11th January 2010 we awarded a construction contract for the Phase 1 construction of a single 100m long breakwater on the western side of the channel at ‘Cocked Hat’ at a cost of about £1.4m. Works are expected to commence on the 1st May 2010 and will be completed by September.
As previously explained, the funds to pay for the project will continue to come from river users in the form of harbour dues. Based on our cash flow projections, all river users (mooring holders, marina berth holders, ferry operators, visitors, etc) face further significant increases in the Harbour Protection element of the dues to cover the costs for Phase 1 and subsequent phases. From April 2010 the annual harbour protection levy for all boats moored in the river/marinas will increase by 10% from £8.63 to £9.49 per meter (excluding VAT).
It is appreciated that this increase cannot be popular in the present climate, but it is unavoidable if we are to be in time to protect the harbour. This is a long term project (approx 30 years) and the Commissioners will remain alive to the possibilities of trying to secure grant funding / assisted finance facilities from new and previously explored sources albeit without a high expectation of success.
A Big Thank You!
The Commissioners would like to place on record their thanks for the considerable level of local support that we have received for this scheme over the last three years. We would also like to place on record our thanks to the local officers from Natural England, the Environment Agency and the New Forest National Park Authority for working with us to find a sustainable solution that will safeguard the harbour for generations to come.
