VBA wins £20m Fylde coast protection scheme

The VBA joint venture of VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and Atkins has won a two-year coast protection scheme contract in Lytham for Fylde Council.The £20m scheme will include detailed design and construction of new coastal defences on a short stretch of the Lancashire coast to the south of Blackpool.VBA will provide new coast protection at Fairhaven and Church Scar as the current concrete defences, built in the 1890s, are in poor condition and require emergency repairs every year to prevent a major breach.The scheme is funded by the Environment Agency and is part of the North West Shoreline Management Plan to ‘hold the line’ here. On completion 2,425 properties will benefit from the new flood and erosion defences.Work on VBA’s £17.5m contract is expected to start on site mid-January 2018 at Church Scar in Lytham St Annes. Work will include piling, earthworks, pre-cast concrete revetment installation and concrete re-surfacing to the promenade, before starting work at Fairhaven. Overall completion will be in 2020.