The Environment Agency has completed the £40 million Lydd Ranges sea defence scheme which will see Lydd and Romney Marsh better protected from flooding for the next 25 years.

Photo: arial view of Lydd Ranges in Kent.

The project was completed in under 4 years - following the successful planning permission application in December 2020, the construction work was able to start in April 2021. The works were constructed by Van Oord in collaboration with their subsidiary Mackley Construction.

The Lydd Ranges sea defence scheme cost £40 million with funding from GiA (Grant in Aid - government funding) and contributions of £13 million from the MoD.

Sally Harvey, Environment Agency Area Director said:

“The completion of the Lydd Ranges Scheme is a significant milestone in our continued efforts to enhance coastal flood protection and secure the Romney and Walland Marsh areas under the Folkestone to Cliff End Coastal Strategy (FoCES).

“I am proud of what has been achieved in carbon saving innovation and would like to thank our partners for their enthusiasm in adopting new techniques to reduce CO2 emissions. Using materials such as biofuels and cement-free concrete, recycled and sustainably sourced timber and solar power on site.

“Our stakeholders, the Ministry of Defence and Natural England, in collaboration with ourselves, Van Oord and Mackley, and many others, have brought expertise and commitment to every phase of the project.”

With much of Romney Marsh below high tide level, 14,500 homes, 700 businesses as well as nationally important, critical infrastructure are at risk of flooding. Lydd’s sea frontage is vulnerable to erosion and has suffered from the effects of recent storms Dennis and Ciara, particularly at Jury’s Gap.

Now completed, the scheme will help better protect this environmentally important area; the Ministry of Defence (MoD) firing range; and people, property and businesses from flooding.

Paul Hesk, Managing Director, Van Oord UK Ltd said:

“Van Oord is proud to have to have contributed to the successful completion of the Lydd Ranges Sea Defence scheme. While the project had its challenges, in particular the environmental sensitivities and the operational requirements of the adjoining firing ranges, the whole team, including the Environment Agency, the MoD and key stakeholders such as Natural England, were resolute in working collaboratively to deliver a scheme of which all parties can justifiably be very proud.”

Key elements of the scheme include:

• Importing over 390,000 tonnes of shingle from a licenced marine source to replenish the beach.
• Installing a 1.8-kilometre timber groyne field east of Jury’s Gap with thirty-three new groynes and refurbishing two existing groynes.
• Installing a 1-kilometre rock revetment at Jury’s Gap.
• Improving the MoD’s 1.8-kilometre-long concrete track and flood wall, known as the Green Wall.
• Relocating and improving the Denge outfall and installing a new control chamber.
• Using biofuels in all land-based equipment, which can reduce CO2 emissions by 90% compared to traditional fuels.
• Applying low carbon concrete, including basalt reinforcement, as an alternative to traditional concrete, with CO2 savings of up to 88%.
• Crushing of the concrete from the old MoD access track and using it as a sub-base for the new roadway to minimise waste and the volume of new material needed.
• The use of recycled and sustainably sourced timber for the construction of the groynes.
• Solar powered site cabins and LPG power generation where demands were not met from solar.

The completion of the Lydd Ranges Sea Defences scheme was marked by an official opening event held by the Environment Agency with construction partner Van Oord UK Ltd on 29 July 2024.

The scheme is part of the Folkestone to Cliff End Strategy (FoCES), approved by government in 2010. It sets out the Environment Agency’s plans to manage flood and erosion risks along the Romney Marsh coastline over the next 100 years, taking the predicted impacts of climate change into account.

Lt Col Adrian Hunter MBE, MoD Commander, Defence Training Estates South East commented:

“The successful collaboration with our partners in the Environment Agency and Natural England has secured the ability to support UK and partner nation defence outputs at Lydd for some time. This initiative, which represents a significant step forward in our shared commitment to sustainability and the protection of coastal erosion, underscores the power of teamwork in addressing complex environmental challenges whilst maintaining the ability to deliver military training.

“The collaboration brought together a diverse group of experts, resources, and perspectives, all united by a common goal in enhancing and delivering the coastal flood protection programme. By working closely with our partners, we have been able to leverage each other’s strengths, share valuable insights, and deploy innovative solutions that would not have been possible working in isolation.”