Eastoke Beach Management FAQs
Under the beach management plan, it is aimed to recycle only shingle material. This maintains the beach profile for longer and absorbs the wave energy more successfully than finer material.
During the work, the material which is extracted from the beaches to the west of Eastoke is monitored. If it is becoming too fine, the extraction area will be relocated to an area with larger shingle.
A suitable height and width of the beach at Eastoke needs to be in place to reduce the risk of flooding to properties. The beach level is set out in the Beach Management Plan for Eastoke to provide a 1:200-year standard of protection to the properties there. If the height of the beach was reduced, the sea would regularly overtop the seawall during storm events.
Where possible, the angle of the back slope of the beach is reduced to make it accessible to the public.
Beach recycling machinery will be delivered to site at Eastoke Corner car park and driven along the crest of the beach during the work.
During non-working periods the machinery will be stored in the Havant Borough Council (HBC) Compound on Southwood Road. In some cases, such as when working at the western end of the Island, a temporary compound may be placed in the West Beach car park.
Shingle is left behind this structure through wave energy - during storm events the shingle is thrown over the timber revetment, once it has been put there by the waves, it cannot then naturally re-enter the beach system. It is therefore removed from this location when large areas of accretion are identified, to help reinstate the beach profile at Eastoke.
Remedial works are routinely carried out to the timber revetment to remove voids and ensure the structure can efficiently remove wave energy. It has been identified that some repairs are currently required, and these will be carried out as part of our timber maintenance work later this financial year.
There is no access point to the beach from Meath Close. The steps to the rear of the promenade are primarily to allow access to the promenade behind the beach.
Access points on to the beach are provided at Eastoke Corner and Creek Road, as well as close to Bosmere Road and Nutbourne Road.
The timber structures at West Beach were constructed during the 1970s and have now reached the end of their serviceable life. In 2008 Havant Borough Council (HBC) made the decision that the beach management policy at West Beach is ‘natural evolution’. This means that when the defences became a health and safety risk, they would be removed rather than replaced or maintained.
Since 1976, HBC have spent over £1million in maintaining these defences. As there are no residential properties at risk at this location, new defences are not eligible for government funding.