First major step in Southsea sea defences begins with 'rainbowing' display

Dredging vessel, the Sospan Dau, was used off shore at Long Curtain Moat to dredge material from the sea and spray it onto the beach.

This will create a temporary working platform on the foreshore between Clarence Pier and the Spur Redoubt to enable Southsea Coastal Scheme works to proceed.

Councillor Hugh Mason, Portsmouth City Council's planning policy and city development boss, said: ‘The Southsea Coastal Scheme has been a long time coming, and the arrival of the Sospan Dau is a very real indication that things are moving ahead at pace.

‘This is the first real sign that the new coastal defences are taking shape. I congratulate the team for getting to this point and look forward to seeing the works progress for the benefit of the Southsea community.’

Around 5,000 cubic metres of gravel will be sprayed via a specialised nozzle on the bow of the vessel over the next three days, with the material forming an arc - or rainbow - onto the beach.

The vessel is set to return in around 20 days to create a second working platform between the Spur Redoubt and the Saluting Platform.

It is planned the scheme will create as little waste as possible, with the dredged gravel an example of this.

The scheme’s project manager, Rupert Teasdale, said: ‘The gravel being used is material that was placed offshore from dredging the Portsmouth Harbour approach channel in 2016 and 2017 for the arrival of the new Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers in to Portsmouth.

‘It complements our plans to reuse material that will be broken and excavated out of the existing structures to provide fill material for the new sea defences - avoiding sending more than 92,000 tonnes of waste to landfill.’

Work on section of the defences at Long Curtain Moat started in September this year as the first of six phases from Old Portsmouth to Eastney. It is expected to take 12 to 18 months with the entire scheme estimated to end in 2026.

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