Major sea defence works, which are nearing completion at Ventnor Eastern Esplanade, are in line for a People’s Choice Award — and Islanders are being urged to cast their vote. The multi-million-pound project has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Integration and Collaborative Working’ category in this year’s Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards 2024. Due to open to the public next week, the new promenade and sea wall are also eligible for a People’s Choice Award which is decided by a public vote. Islanders are being urged to a vote at https://www.ce-awards.co.uk/blog-post/722/SECBE-Awards-2024-Finalist-Ventnor-Eastern-Esplanade-Urgent-Works-(submitted-by-Mackley) and scroll to the bottom where you’ll find a voting button. It was in November 2022 that violent storms caused a 35-metre section of the revetment at Eastern Esplanade to collapse, putting homes and businesses at risk. The failure also exposed a main foul sewer, threatening a major environmental incident. The Isle of Wight Council acted quickly to appoint experienced marine contractors, Mackley, to carry out urgent works which involved placing dozens of specially engineered rock bags into the main fault, helping to stabilise the area. Using recycled timber, the company went on to pile more than 150 ‘king posts’ into the seabed, creating a new impregnable sea wall in front of the decaying remains of the old defences which date back to the 1960s. This was then backfilled and capped with concrete to form a new promenade which is due to open next week, restoring an important walking and cycling route along the spectacular sea front to Wheelers Bay. The project involved close partnership working between the Council, its contractor Mackley, the Environment Agency, Jacobs, Southern Water, Island Roads and Ventnor Town Council. Paul Fuller, Cabinet member for planning, coastal protection and flooding, said:
“The project has really been an exemplar of collaboration, resourcefulness and commitment by all involved. “Thanks to the swift actions of council officers and our partners, the emergency was averted, none of the high risks were realised, there was no breach of the sewer, no environmental incident, the collapse didn’t worsen and urgent works were delivered. “I look forward to walking the new promenade when it reopens next week — just in time for the late May Bank Holiday and the summer months ahead. In the meantime, I’d urge everyone to get behind this Isle of Wight scheme and show their support by voting for it in the #SECBEAwards2024 People’s Choice Award.”
Natasha Dix, the council’s service director for environment and planning, added:
“We would like to thank the local community not only for their patience and understanding during these important works, but also their support. “This scheme was made all the more challenging due to the exposed nature of the site and the very poor weather we experienced last autumn/winter. Our contractors worked double tides at every opportunity to help finish the work as quickly as possible. “The completion of the Ventnor Eastern Esplanade urgent works marks more than 12 months of hard work and dedication and is testament to our ability, through true collaboration with our partners, to efficiently deliver a challenging coastal defence project.”
Voting will close on 20th June 2024.
It’s good to see that it’s going to open again. Maybe when they have finished at this site Mackleys could be used to repair the sea wall and path between Colwell and Totland. this much used path has been closed off for months now. It really needs to be reopened for the many people that use it.
Looks to be a great job, rather they had used our stainless steel gabion cages instead of bags, and used recycled plastic or rubber tyres instead of timber, but taking nothing away from them a grand job in unpleasant conditions for all those working there at times.
Yet I would place my vote for sea defences on a system which detects flotsam before it enters British waters, and the crafts destruction with the contents placed on one ‘use’ dingy’s which are programmed to head back to France, who clearly don’t want more problems and so are happy to see them head here. All a ‘ploy’ to get us to rejoin the EU, as they know many voted out to see less such arriving, so by allowing more to come, they hope it will ‘sway’ our minds.
Any excuse to bang that xenophobic drum, eh I,v,y? A touch of paranoia and outlandish conspiracy theory thinking by the looks of it too. Well done for making a connection where none existed before.
You’re right, it’s not even a tenuous link from sea wall defences to illegal immigration.
But, you’re wrong calling anyone speaking out against illegal immigration to be xenophobic. But, it needs to be in the right place. It’s similar to another poster on here who attempts to bring politics into literally every discussion, no matter how irrelevant.
It really is tiresome, isn’t it?
Brexit. The gift that keeps on giving
A long line of floating land mines activated by vinyl or rubber may be more beneficial to the nation, and would save billions not just for a while, but forever, and reduce endless suffering for those who will be victims of rape, knife crime, drugs, acid attack, shootings, se x slavery, along with those just displaced or on housing waiting lists, or awaiting medical treatment etc.
In these PC days, unlikely to win the comp, but if people could see the ‘future’ of this country, it certainly would.
No way not if it involves the council and Island roads getting a pat on the back
About time, what have they been doing all this time?
it’s taken ages, think of all those excessive wages being paid.
King kunute had a good plan
My first thought was of King Canute, too. Could be named the King Canute award.