Although planning permission has already been granted for beach replenishment work that would take material from the sand bar off Mudeford Quay and spread it on Christchurch beaches, a new method of working is now being proposed which would be more beneficial.
The original proposal may have caused difficulties for vessels getting in and out of Christchurch harbor at low tide due to a pipeline being laid from the sandbar (also known as an ebb tide delta) to the beach at Gundimore.
The new proposal would see a channel being cut through the western end of the sandbar, which would be buoyed to mark its location. This would allow vessels access to the harbor without any danger of snagging the pipeline.
Lindsay Cass, Head of Property & Engineering at Christchurch Council , said: “The shape of the ebb-tide delta has changed recently, which is another reason for us looking at a different way of working. Previously it was about 400 meters long and 100 meters wide. It is now about 600 meters long but only 30 meters wide.
“The narrower and longer sand bar would make it difficult for the excavators originally proposed to work there safely ,” added Cass.
The proposal is for sand and shingle to be pumped from a dredger using a submersible pump alongside the sand bar via a floating pipeline to temporary lagoons on the beach.
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