Part of Plymouth's sea wall is falling into the sea

Princess Yachts Newport Street base

Part of Plymouth’s sea wall is falling into the sea. Surveys carried out have found that substantial repairs to a section of the wall are needed.

The essential repairs to the seawall are needed next to Princess Yachts International’s operations on Newport Street. If works are not undertaken, then the seawall could potentially collapse, a planning application submitted to Plymouth City Council says.

Under the plan, essential repairs would be carried out to ensure its safety. But a section of a nearby building will need to be demolished in order to gain the access required to undertake the works. A separate application has been submitted for the demolition of a section of Unit 3 to allow access to the seawall and sea structure to undertake the repairs.

The planning application, submitted to the council, says: “Recent surveys of the reinforced concrete marine substructure and slab have found that, due to its location in the tributary to the River Tamar (a tidal estuary), subjected to constant varying heights of seawater, the sea structure is in a poor condition and in need of substantial repairs.

“In addition, it has been found that the seawall to the north of Unit 3 is defective, with loose or missing stone blocks and bulging and cracking of the seawall. As a result, there is ongoing movement to the seawall. Accordingly, substantial repairs to reinstate the seawall and sea structure are required, to ensure that the structures do not fall into greater disrepair, and potentially collapse. 2

“A number of options to repair the seawall were explored. However, it was concluded that a partial demolition of Unit 3 to enable works to be undertaken land side, was the most efficient, while minimising environmental impacts on the River Tamar.

“The proposals seek to repair the existing seawall and sea structure to ensure that they remain in safe working condition, while extending their operational service life. The proposals will safeguard the buildings and ultimately the economic activity within Princess Yachts.”

Plymouth City Council planners will determine the fate of the applicastions at a later date.