A planning application has been lodged for major sea defence works on Southsea seafront, covering the area around the Pyramids Centre and South Parade Pier.
The scheme includes raising and resurfacing the promenade beside the pier, resurfacing under the pier canopy, building new vertical flood walls, and widening the beach.
The project is split into two parts – the completed sub-frontage five west, between the Pyramids Centre and Speakers’ Corner, and sub-frontage five east, either side of South Parade Pier.
For both sections, the design proposes a “managed beach, a stepped revetment with sheet pile toe as the primary defence, and a combination of reinforced concrete wall and stepped upstand as the secondary defence.”
At South Parade Pier, baffle walls and seating will be built to tie into the pier structure. No alterations to the pier itself are required.
The promenade will be raised to 5m above sea level, except under the pier canopy where levels will remain the same. Existing ramps and steps to the pier will also stay in place.
According to the application, the wider beach will “enhance this location as a seafront destination” while protecting the Rock Gardens from flooding – a problem in the past. Flood gates and boards will be installed at access points near the pier.
Four historic shelters, three of them listed, will be dismantled, repaired and rebuilt in roughly the same spots. The unlisted shelter will be reconstructed further along the seafront within sub-frontage 3. Listed ornamental lamps in the area will also be kept.
The works are part of the Southsea Coastal Scheme, the UK’s largest local authority-led coastal defence project. The £185m scheme stretches 4.5km from Old Portsmouth to Eastney. It will reduce the risk of flooding to more than 10,000 homes and 700 businesses, around 4,000 of which face the danger of direct flooding.
So far, three of the six frontages have been completed. Work on the remaining three is “coming soon” with the final frontage already underway.
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