Some 500,000 tons of dredged sand have been brought from a licensed winning area off Lincolnshire to replenish the beach and provide additional sea defence. A series of promenade improvements have enhanced the seafront and a novel 5m high bronze sculpture of a ‘Couple’ has been placed on the offshore breakwater looking out to sea.

Major works on the £10m costal protection scheme, aimed at regenerating a once popular seaside resort, were awarded to Westminster Dredging Company Ltd, which initially deployed the multicat ‘Ailsa’ and the crane barge ‘Strekker’ with a specialist diving team to lay geotextile on the seabed. A bedding layer of small rocks was placed atop the geotextile and one ton rocks created the core of the breakwater.

Foundation piles for the sculpture were placed within the core of the northern roundhead of the break water during low water spring tides in May.

Some 1,200 special interlocking Core Loc concrete units, cast at the Port of Blythe, formed the outer layer of the structure. They were transported to site by barge and positioned by a floating crane. Larger five ton rocks were imported to form a toe in front of the Core Locs.

The Royal Boskalis Westminster trailing suction hopper dredger ‘Oranje’ then began recharging the beach, bringing some 14,000m3 of sand on each voyage from off the coast of Skegness. Oranje sailed to a point some 1,400m off the coast of Newbiggin and discharged the sand to shore via a sunken pipeline, where it was spread by heavy plant. Oranje made some 30 round trips, each of which took approximately one day.

With the project now nearing completion, the offshore sculpture by artist Sean Henry has been installed.

The scheme has seen a great relationship build between Westminster Dredging and the local community, which is delighted to have its bay restored to its former glory. Earlier this month a Westminster Dredging Topper Open sailing event saw the company donate 12 Topper sailing boats to the Newbiggin by the Sea Sailing Club, which will deploy them to encourage local youngsters to take up the sport.