Environment Agency completes £75m flood scheme in Essex

Much of Canvey Island lies below the daily high-water level in the Thames Estuary. The tidal defences play an essential role in reducing the risk of flooding to people, property and infrastructure on the island.

Since 2022, a 3 kilometre stretch of the island’s revetment has been renewed on its southern shoreline between Thorney Bay and the Island Yacht Club.

Revetment refers to the man-made material placed on the slope of the embankment. It is needed to break up and absorb the impact of waves hitting the slope and to protect the material making up the core of the embankment.

Sections of the previous revetment had dated back to the 1930s and desperately needed replacing.

With the work now completed, the island’s tidal defences will continue to provide protection for more than 6,000 properties on the island for another 50 years.

Project ‘essential’ for managing flood risk

James Mason, Operations Manager for the Environment Agency, said

We are delighted to have finished the work on the revetment at Canvey Island.

This project is essential to managing the risk of flooding for thousands of people, homes and businesses.

We are already seeing the effects of climate change in the UK. We’re working to better protect communities from this risk, with climate change projection built into the design of flood defences, such as here in Canvey Island, to ensure they are fit for the future.

As well as refurbishing the existing tidal defences, additional enhancements have been made to the Canvey Island shoreline.

As part of the project, new steps to the beach and project information boards were installed. The surface of the pathway along the landward side of the seawall between Thorney Bay and Chapman Sands was also improved.

Flowering grass seed mixes were planted to improve biodiversity on the defence with rock pools also created to enhance habitats in locations along the foreshore.

Background