Coast Protection
Dover District Council's Coastal Defences
The following review of the development of the coastal
protection within the district has been split into convenient
sections for ease of explanation.
1. Shepway Boundary to Dover Harbour
This section of coastline is generally undeveloped and Railtrack
is responsible for the maintenance of the defences in this area as
they provide protection to the Folkestone to Dover railway, which
runs at the foot of the cliffs. They consist primarily of gravity
mass concrete sea walls or rock revetment together with extensive
works to drain ground water from the slip planes under the
Folkestone Warren. In addition the recently constructed defences at
Samphire Hoe protect the ventilation equipment for the Channel
Tunnel and are maintained by Eurotunnel.
2. Dover Harbour
Responsibility for this area rests with Dover Harbour Board.
Construction of the harbour started in 1847 with the construction
of Admiralty Pier and its development continued until 1871. This
was extended between 1900 and 1904 by a further 610 metres and at
the same time the Eastern Arm and South Breakwater were started
with all works completed by 1909. The Prince of Wales Pier was
built in 1892 within the harbour.
3. Dover Harbour to Kingsdown (excluding St Margaret's
Bay)
This section consists of chalk cliffs, which are slowly eroding
at an average rate of 200mm/year. The erosion is not always gradual
and is characterised by occasional sudden large falls. There is
little development along the cliff top in these areas and no
defensive works have been undertaken, as the rate of erosion is
very slow.
4. St Margaret's Bay
The sea wall at the north end of the bay was originally built
privately. One section was refaced in 1972 and further minor
repairs carried out to the flanking wall in the late 1970's. The
remainder of the sea frontage is protected by a sea wall, which was
built in 1950 and, as a result of abrasion damage, partially
refaced in 1972. The beach is controlled by 12 groynes, which were
originally built of steel rail piles and walings with steel sheet
piles and timber planks. Due to severe wear the majority were
strengthened in 1982 by concrete plinths encasing worn steel sheet
piles and by double planking to protect the steel posts from
abrasion. Further maintenance has been undertaken on a routine
basis since then.
5. Kingsdown
At the south end of the frontage is a recently constructed rock
armour wall and substantial concrete defences built by the MOD to
defend the former rifle range. In Oldstairs Bay immediately to the
north the Council has recently completed a scheme (2001) to
construct a rock revetment including 3 timber groynes. Between this
wall and the village the beach is retained by a section of timber
breastwork 200 metres long and a further three groynes. Until the
construction of the defences at Oldstairs Bay the area had suffered
from significant erosion over recent years. The material eroded
from here has helped to nourish the beach to the north.
The village is protected by a lightweight concrete panel sea
wall, constructed in 1965. By 1978 this wall was being outflanked
and overtopped in storms. The wall was therefore extended by 45m
southward and 200m northward and a promenade and splash wall were
added over the southern 240m. The beach is retained by a total of
15 groynes constructed in 1965 and 1979. A major beach nourishment
scheme was carried out in the summer of 1995 involving the
importing of 58,000m³ of shingle. Further works were carried out in
1997 to install scour protection at the southern end of the sea
wall, and in 1998 further beach nourishment was carried out
involving the importation by sea of some 80,000m³ shingle.
Between November 2003 and December 2004 further works were
carried out. This involved the following:
- The placing of more rock armour to increase the scour defences
carried out in 1997.
- Construction of an 80 metre length of sea wall toe protection
linking up with existing at the Southern end
- Reconstruction of a near by storm damaged groyne, plus remedial
work to another adjacent groyne was also carried out.
- Beach nourishment along the sea wall and adjecently to the
North, incorporated the Importing by sea of 47,000m³ of
shingle.
- Construction of a shingle store area, with a peripheral timber
fence just North of Kingsdown towards Walmer.
Just prior to the main contract starting, a 48 meter length of
esplanade and splash wall became damaged, after part of the sea
wall had become undermined after a storm.
Further during the main works a near by boat ramp became damaged
after another storm, where the lower half was totally removed
leaving only the vertical support members. Although the upper half
was still in place, this also suffered damage, but was
salvagable.
Therefore as well as the main contract, additional work due to
storm damage became included into the main scheme.
6. Kingsdown to Deal Castle
The sea defences in this area rely primarily on the natural
shingle bank. Recent construction work completed in 1995 has
supplemented these natural defences with the construction of a
buried timber crib wall extending for 500m parallel to Wellington
Parade north of the Kingsdown sea defences to retain the shingle in
the event of severe storm. The beach was renourished in 1995 and
1998 as part of the works at Kingsdown.
7. Deal Castle to Sandown Castle
Construction of the defences at Deal started over 100 years ago.
Deal in the 1800's was very different to today as there were no
parades or sea walls but only the shingle bank on which brick
houses, store houses etc. were built together with a number of
wooden jetties. The town was the place of work for hundreds of
boatmen who kept up the beach and dealt with denudations after
storms. Following storms in 1872 a bank was constructed along the
north side of Harold Road to protect the lower part of the town and
the sea wall and groynes at the northern end of the frontage were
built in 1889. As the character of the town changed the Council
acquired from time to time properties on the seaward side of Beach
Street and small but separate parades were made with that policy
being accelerated between 1920 and 1939 when more properties were
bought and the parades linked and extended. Following the 1953 and
1956 storms the defence of the frontage by sea walls was completed
by 1960. Groynes are shown to have been constructed between 1938
and 1957 over the northern half with further groynes added between
1958 and 1974.
Following the storm of 1978 further works were undertaken and
there are now 32 groynes, of which 27 are of recent construction,
to protect the beach. The sea wall along much of this section was
reconstructed during the early 1980's and a splash wall added to
reduce overtopping. The ruins of Sandown Castle had been destroyed
to such an extent that the remaining walls were encased in a
concrete sea wall constructed in 1988/89. South of Deal Pier a
seawall of unknown form extends as far as Deal Castle and a 200m
section of this was refaced during the summer of 1995. Historically
the beach has been nourished on several occasions including the
importing of 22,000m³ in 1960 and a further 9000m³ in 1974. More
recently beach levels have been relatively stable due probably to
the volumes of material being driven from Walmer and Kingsdown.
8. Sandown Castle to River Stour (Thanet DC Boundary)
The defence of this low-lying area is the responsibility of the
Environment Agency under the various Land Drainage Acts. The
defences consist of a shingle bank backed on the southern section
by a rock mound revetment.
E-mail: propertyservices@dover.gov.uk
