The Leader of Portsmouth City Council has praised Team Van Oord for carrying out emergency repairs to the sea defense wall in Southsea over the Christmas holiday period.
In a letter to Tony Camilerri, MD of Team Van Oord member Mackley, Councillor Donna Jone s said she “ wanted to put on record how impressed we have been with the whole response ”.
Team Van Oord was called into action to support the Environment Agency following the collapse of a stretch of the sea wall at Southsea on 28 December 2015. The breach occurred when waves crashed over the top of the wall and penetrated the foundations, causing the concrete to expand and split the structure.
Councillor Jones (left) said: “ We have been impressed with the whole response including the initial assessment of damage and safety precautions that were taken; the procurement and transportation of materials/equipment to site; and the remedial works that have been undertaken over the last two weeks. ”
According to Jones, over 800 tonnes of granite boulders have been delivered to site, and in total 4,000 tonnes will arrive in the next couple of weeks to prop up the sea wall.
The current work is a temporary solution to deal with the current situation. In the longer term Portsmouth City Council is bidding for funding to develop and deliver a permanent solution.