Greatstone Outfall - now cleared temporarily.

Our Technical Officer Tony Hills is delighted to report that work at the Greatstone Outfall has been completed and finished by the Environment Agency to a very high standard.

The beach has been shaped and formed professionally with no damage to the natural fauna and left in a very tidy condition. Natural England gave a time extension to complete the job.

The shingle placed at Littlestone Water Tower has ‘drawn down’ nicely and the repairs to the road are excellent. Although  Pirate Springs has as yet not been inspected,  from looking up the bay the shape seems fine.

Efforts should now concentrate on creating a (temporary?) stop groyne to keep the shingle in place and away from threatening the Outfall in order to save more work in the future whilst  a long term solution for this area must be found as soon as possible.

A big ‘thank you’ to  Gareth Oliver (EA) and his work force  for a job well done !

Sea Defences are not just about more shingle. Littlestone is a perfect example of how to manage shingle movement by understanding the coastal processes in detail. New thinking and design has to work with the processes to create a viable defence for the future.

This photo shows the Greatstone Outfall , now cleared (temporarily),  with the shingle having been taken back up the coast to Pirate Springs (north of the site) above the shingle migration point.