Update 21/9/23
Despite delays due to weather and tides, equipment and materials continue to be delivered to St Agnes, there are still 2 barge loads of rock that need a window for delivery before the barge is decommissioned for winter.
Enabling works for the demountable sea defences have now been commissioned. You will notice works at Porthcressa , Hugh Town and Old Town over the coming months.
Update 12/7/23
The final licensing permissions have been received today for sea defence works to begin on St Agnes. Rock deliveries into Periglis will now begin towards the end of this week.
Update 10/7/23
Porthloo
Following the completion of the works at Porthloo, signs of naturalisation can now be seen in this area. The Marram grass which was transplanted onto the new dune by The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, Five Islands Academy Eco Club members and community volunteers has now begun to 'bed in' to the surrounding environment and there is encouraging evidence of new green shoots of grass coming through.
Porthmellon
The works at Porthmellon are now complete. As a result of the construction works, some smaller stones were unearthed and had begun to collect on the surface sand. These stones were removed for a final time in June, leaving the beach clear for the summer season.
Porth Hellick
The works at Porth Hellick are now complete. The concrete beach access ramp has been installed at the eastern side of the beach and a pedestrian access boardwalk has been installed to the west. A horse access pathway has also been cleared at the western end of the beach to reduce the erosion over the top of the dunes.
The new dunes have been covered by a coir matting and revegetated with native species.
The Sir Cloudesley Shovell monument has been reinstated at the top of the bank.
The project has also installed a land drain by the main gate to reduce the amount of mud puddling at the top of the access track by the shed.
St Agnes
The barge currently moored in the channel is waiting for final licensing permissions before rock deliveries can begin to St Agnes - hopefully within the next week or so. The construction phase will begin at the end of the main season. Signage will be displayed in the areas we’re asking the community to avoid whilst this work is in progress. For further information on the St Agnes proposals see our St Agnes Sea Defence Proposals webpage.
Update 01/02/2023
Porth Loo
Following the completion of the works and the removal of the safety signage, Porth Loo can now be fully accessed by the public. There will be some general tidying taking place in the area, including the planting of Marram grass on the dune adjacent to the rock armour.
Porthmellon
The current phase of sea defence works at Porthmellon is now nearing completion. Some general tidying, including the removal of some small rocks, will continue in the coming weeks. The final layers of rock are due to be installed when the next barge arrives in March/April.
Please be mindful when walking in this area that the sand will be much softer than normal until it has readjusted following the next few high tides.
Porth Hellick
Our contractors are now working on the track to Porth Hellick. Heavy plant and machinery will be moving up and down the track to the beach. Signage will be displayed in the areas we're asking the community to avoid whilst work is in progress.
Important plea to the community
We're monitoring each of the areas above and will only remove safety signage when we're satisfied the advice no longer applies. Please do not remove any signage yourself, even when works appear to have ceased.
Update 04/01/2023
The sea defence works have now begun at the western end of Porthmellon beach and will continue into February 2023. We please ask that you avoid this area of the beach whilst works are in progress and use the access points at the eastern end of the beach,or by the gig sheds. If you need vehicular access during this time please contact the site manger Dave Matthews directly on 07834213528.
Update 20/12/2022
Please be aware that the sea defence works at the Porthloo site are nearing completion and the sand is very soft in places on Porthloo beach. This is temporary and will soon adjust with the tides. We advise that the community continues to avoid the beach until the completion of the works.
Signs have been placed at both ends of the beach and will remain in place until we consider that the beach has adjusted sufficiently for people to re-enter the area. Please also note that there will be additional activity on the roads over the next few weeks between Porthloo and Porthmellon as the surplus rock armour is transported to the western end of Porthmellon.
Construction will begin at the Porthmellon site in January so please also avoid the site at the Western end of Porthmellon beach whilst work is in progress. Signage will be updated at this location as necessary.
We held an open meeting with St Martins residents on 5th December 2022 to discuss the current sea defence proposals and how best to manage the dunes at Lower Town and Par Beach.
The meeting was well attended with just over twenty residents in total. The main topics of discussion were the Lowertown slipway, beach fencing and a localised dune management plan.
Update 25/11/2022
The sea defence works at Porthloo are progressing well despite some unfavourable weather conditions and are now expected to complete before the end of December 2022. We met with local residents this week to discuss the next phase of works and plans for Porth Hellick and have asked the designers and stakeholder organisations to consider the various issues raised. The track to Porth Hellick will be improved shortly for deliveries of materials and equipment to the Porth Hellick site over the next few weeks. Local users have been asked to clear the area of any possessions such as kayaks, boats and trailers. Planning proposals for the off island works have now been submitted; you can find paper copies of the designs and proposals at St Mary’s Library and the respective Island Halls if you are interested in finding out more.
Update 31/10/2022
The works at Porthloo will restart during the first week of November as the license restriction lifts, previously paused whilst boats were lifted at the end of the season, work will then continue at Porthloo until completion. It is likely that the access to the coastal path that runs along the top of the dunes adjacent to the boat park will close for a couple of weeks whilst the work is carried out safely.
We can begin construction of the works at Porth Hellick from 15 November onwards, preparation of the path leading from the main road to the Porth Hellick site will begin ahead of this. Deliveries of materials to the Porth Hellick working compound will arrive via the quay.
Update: 3/10/2022
Today works have started to deliver rock to Porth Mellon. A barge is unloading at the beach to take advantage of the clement weather. Over last weekend some local rock was rounded up from various sites on St Mary’s, by kind permission of tenants and the Duchy of Cornwall. Construction of the rock armour west of the Porth Mellon beach accessway is expected to start this week. This will protect the road from undermining during storms, and it also protects the fibre communications link to the islands, which runs under the seaward footpath at Porth Mellon. The works at Porth Mellon are expected to take several weeks starting in October, and deliveries of materials for Porth Hellick working compound landed at Porth Mellon will start during October too.
Works at Porthloo have paused for the month of October, because our licences don’t allow working while boats are being lifted. The works at Porthloo have been left in a way that protects the existing construction from high seas. Works at Porthloo will restart in November and we can begin construction of the works at Porth Hellick from 15 November onwards.
Update: 12/09/2022
Call to remove items from slipway at Porthmellon.
As we recently announced the works being undertaken as part of the Climate Adaptation Scilly project have commenced on St Mary's. Rock deliveries are continuing into Porthloo with construction in the area beginning shortly. Rock deliveries will then commence into Porthmellon at the beginning of October, we will need the community to help us keep these areas clear.
Removal of items from Porthmellon
All lightweight vessels, such as dinghies and kayaks, and trailers currently being stored on the west side of the access slipway on Porthmellon will need to be removed as soon as possible to enable the deliveries to take place. The Harbour Master will be contacting owners and applying notices to vessels in the area.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Update: 25/08/2022
We are very pleased to announce that rock deliveries began at Porthloo at the beginning of this week. The work to build up the volume of rock at Porthcressa will continue throughout September with rock being delivered via landing craft and kept at the north end of the beach. Once complete, rock deliveries will then begin at Porthmellon towards the beginning of October 2022.
It is nice to see so many people taking an interest and watching the rocks being delivered to the beach, it is quite a spectacle! However, please be safe, watch from a sensible distance and be aware of any advisory signs at the site.
Update: 9/08/2022
Further deliveries are now expected at Porthloo and Porthmellon and we need the community to help us keep these areas clear.
We'll be putting up signs relating to the works and contacting local businesses which may be affected in the coming days.
The next phase of deliveries have now been confirmed for the following dates:
19 August 2022
The first rock delivery will arrive on a landing craft at Porthloo Beach, St Mary’s .
Early September 2022
Rock will be delivered via landing craft to the east side of Porthmellon Beach, St Mary’s. The rock will then be transported to the south-west corner of the beach.
Removal of Items from Porthmellon
All lightweight vessels, such as dinghies and kayaks, currently being stored on the west side of the access slipway on Porthmellon will need to be removed before 5 September 2022 to enable the deliveries to take place.
Update: 3/08/2022
We are pleased to confirm that the first of the Climate Adaptation Scilly coastal protection works will commence this evening with the delivery of equipment via landing craft at Porthloo, St Mary's;
On Wednesday, 3 August 2022 around 20:00, a 30 tonne digger and a 6 tonne dumper will be offloaded at Porthloo beach, St Mary's. The following evening at around 21.00,Thursday, 4 August, a 15 tonne digger and a 9 tonne dumper will also be offloaded at Porthloo beach, St Mary's
The equipment will be stored on Porthloo boatyard for an interim period until access is made available to the laydown site. The laydown site for the duration of the works will be at the corner field adjacent to Porthloo Terrace.
If you have any questions about the project, you can email us at adaptivescilly@scilly.gov.uk.
Funding Information
Climate Adaptation Scilly is a comprehensive package of climate change adaptation measures funded by the Environment Agency and the European Union intended to reduce the impact of the physical impacts of climate change on one of the most vulnerable parts of the United Kingdom. The key risks from sea level rise and reducing rainfall are being managed through coastal defence works against coastal flooding and erosion, and through installation of rainwater harvesting systems for businesses. A community strategy (the Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan) is being developed to help the islands adapt to ongoing changing climate conditions.
European Regional Development Fund
The project is receiving up to £2.2 M of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding
Funding Information
Climate Adaptation Scilly is a comprehensive package of climate change adaptation measures funded by the Environment Agency and the European Union intended to reduce the impact of the physical impacts of climate change on one of the most vulnerable parts of the United Kingdom. The key risks from sea level rise and reducing rainfall are being managed through coastal defence works against coastal flooding and erosion, and through installation of rainwater harvesting systems for businesses. A community strategy (the Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan) is being developed to help the islands adapt to ongoing changing climate conditions.
European Regional Development Fund
The project is receiving up to £2.2 M of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding