Yarmouth Harbour have this week announced plans for a brand new breakwater to replace the existing structure, at a cost of around £10million.
The current breakwater, which is constructed with old railway line and sleepers, is nearing the end of its useful life so a replacement breakwater is now required.
It is hoped a new breakwater would be 75 metres further north into the Solent than the existing one and it is likely to be of rock armour construction and at least one metre taller than the existing structure to help cope with the predicted sea level rise this century.
The announcement is just the beginning of a long process which involves extensive consultation with a number of government agencies, the local community and the harbour users. This area is highly environmentally designated, and the harbour commissioners understand the challenges in this location.
Raising the funds for the breakwater is as big a challenge as the permission and licenses that it requires. The expected cost is in the order of £10 million and the commissioners expect that the whole project is likely to take 5 years.
A new breakwater in the proposed location would enable further growth of harbour business, both commercial and leisure. It would also provide better flood protection to the Western Yar Estuary and Yarmouth Town.
