The existing breakwater, which is constructed with old railway line and sleepers, is nearing the end of its useful life, so a replacement breakwater is required, announced Yarmouth Harbor Commissioners.
Ideally, a new breakwater would be 75 m further north into the Solent than the existing one. It is likely to be of rock armour construction and at least one meter taller than the existing structure to cope with the predicted sea level rise this century.
“ This announcement is just the beginning of a long process which involves extensive consultation with a number of government agencies, the local community and the harbor users, ” they stated.
A new breakwater in the proposed location would enable further growth of harbor business, both commercial and leisure. It would also provide better flood protection to the Western Yar Estuary and Yarmouth Town.
This area is highly environmentally designated, and the harbor 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 ,” they concluded.
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Press Release