A scheme which has significantly reduced flood risk to thousands of properties on the West Sussex coast has been recognised with a prestigious environmental award.
The Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls Scheme, officially opened in March 2019, was presented with a Green Apple Environment Award on 25 November.
The Shoreham scheme was carried out by Mackley, working as part of Team Van Oord and on behalf of the Environment Agency, Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, Adur District Council and West Sussex County Council.
The Green Apple Awards are run by The Green Organisation – an independent, non-political, non-profit environment group.
Launched in 1994, the awards are dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.
Designed to last for 100 years
Construction of the new 7.2km tidal defences in Shoreham began in September 2016, as many of the old defences came to the end of their useful life.
The new defences cover 1.8km on the east bank of the River Adur between Coronation Green and the A27 road bridge – and 5.4km on the west bank between the river mouth and the A27 road bridge.
They are formed of embankments, sheet pile walls, rock revetments, flood glass, and property level protection, and are designed to last for 100 years – though have been built so that they can easily be further raised after 50 years if necessary.
The project also involved improving the public footpaths along the route of the defences, and approximately 1.4 hectares of compensatory saltmarsh habitat have been created.
More success for Shoreham
The Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls Scheme is no stranger to success.
In October, it was crowned Climate Resilience Project of the Year at the British Construction Industry Awards.
The category recognises excellence in completed projects – from concept, through procurement, design and construction and on to operations and ultimate end user satisfaction.
Specifically, it rewards projects that are mitigating the impact of extreme weather and climate change on people, properties and business.
Earlier this year, Shoreham was also awarded a Bronze National Site Award from the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS).
The CCS National Site Awards recognise construction sites where exceptional standards of consideration are shown towards local neighbourhoods and the general public, the workforce and the environment.
Winning a National Site Award is an exceptional achievement only given to sites that have made the greatest contribution towards improving the image of construction.
27 November 2019
