Interserve has been appointed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council to deliver the £11m Hessle Foreshore tidal defence scheme which will create a new 700-metre long tidal defence adjacent to the Humber Estuary
The contract was awarded through the YORcivil 2 Framework agreement in Yorkshire and Humberside. YORcivil 2 delivers a wide range of civil engineering and construction works to local authorities and other public sector bodies in Yorkshire and the Humberside.
The works will provide protection to low-lying properties near the Hessle foreshore from flooding in the future.
Funding
The work is being jointly funded with grants from the Environment Agency (FDGiA), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (ERDF) and the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Growth Fund Programme.
Plan
The Hessle Foreshore tidal defence scheme has been designed to defend more than 4,000 homes, as well as 67 non-residential properties, over the next 50 years.
The scope of Interserve Construction’s works includes the installation of a 465-metre long glass panels flood wall barrier, which when installed will be one of the longest in the UK.
It also includes a 440-metre steel sheet pile foundation and a 260-metre gravity reinforced concrete foundation all of which must be installed adjacent to the Humber estuary which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the natural habitat for rare birds and wildlife.
Using innovative silent piling techniques
Jim Wilkinson, associate director at Interserve Construction, said: “This is an ambitious and much-need project for the area around Hessle and the works will be completed using innovative silent piling techniques to minimise disruption to the local residents and will minimise waste by recycling more than 50% of the excavated materials.
“We have a long track record in the Yorkshire and Humberside region for delivering major infrastructure and transport projects drawing on our wide-ranging experience and civil engineering capabilities.
“Recent projects delivered in the region by Interserve Construction include the installation of a new landmark bridge in Hull and the new £12m transport interchange in Rotherham.”
Councillor Chris Matthews, portfolio holder for strategic management at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, commented: “I am extremely pleased to work is starting on this major tidal defence project.
“When the whole scheme is complete it will help to minimise the risk of flooding to thousands of properties in Hessle and west Hull, which have suffered the effects of tidal surges before, the last one being in 2013.”
Dean Hamblin, the Environment Agency’s senior flood risk advisor for the East Riding, added: “This work on Hessle Foreshore is a key flood risk management scheme and links with the Environment Agency’s £42m Humber Hull Frontage scheme to the East.
“Together they will help reduce the risk of flooding to more than 100,000 properties in the city and form part of a wider £200m investment in flood defence work across the East Riding of Yorkshire and Hull.”
Works are due to commence on site in May 2020 with a planned completion date in late Spring 2021.
