Flood Defence Feasibility Report
Blackshore Cottages, Southwold, Suffolk
1-5 Blackshore Cottages are located within the Southwold Harbour, adjacent the River Blyth. The cottages are subject to tidal flooding, including tidal surge flooding, from the North Sea.
The existing cottages were most recently flooded during the tidal surge of December 2013, with flooding predicted to become more frequent in the future because of climate change.
Technicus Consulting provided civil engineering consultancy services to the private residents and owners of the cottages collectively to provide a feasibility study report containing recommendations for improved flood defences and flood protection measures. The cottages previously had several small independent flood protection measures and small-scale defences.
Three options were considered, which included construction of a large boundary flood defence wall surrounding the cottages; a smaller landscaped flood wall close to the cottages; and property flood protection and resilience measures.
Technicus conducted a cost-benefit study to review the feasibility of the three proposed options. This exercise concluded with a recommendation to construct the smaller landscaped flood wall which could then be supplemented with additional flood protection and resilience measures to limit tidal flood water entering the cottages during more severe tidal events.
It was recommended that the larger boundary flood defence wall would not be economically viable and would encounter planning and conservation issues.
