Mackley is delighted to be working with the RNLI on the building of a new lifeboat house at Wells-next-the-Sea on the North Norfolk coast.
Lifeboat crews at Wells have been saving lives at sea since 1830 but the first RNLI lifeboat station was built in 1869. The current boathouse is located on a sand and shingle spit just over a mile north of the town.
Construction of the new boathouse is underway. The building will house a Shannon class all-weather lifeboat and a D class inshore lifeboat; which was part funded by a successful local campaign in 2014-2015.
The boathouse will contain upgraded facilities for the crew and other volunteers, as well as provide extra space for visitor and community engagement. It is expected that the boathouse will be completed in 2022 – and the new Shannon class lifeboat will arrive shortly afterwards.
The first phase of construction involves driving piles into the ground to form the foundations for the boathouse and ramps; building up the soil and sand levels with material supplied by the Port of Wells and constructing the concrete floor slab. This will take place between September 2020 and May 2021.
The second phase involves the construction of the lifeboat station building.
Mackley will be working with the RNLI and Wells Lifeboat Station, as well as other local partners, to ensure that safe access to the beach and the car park is maintained throughout the project.
Once complete, the lifeboats will exit the boathouse through the main doors and be pushed up and over the sea defences on a purpose built ramp straight into the channel or, if the tide is out, will be taken on their carriages to a low water launch site in Holkham Bay.
Regular updates will be posted on the Wells Lifeboat Station website.
01 September 2020
