Hessle Foreshore Tidal Defence Scheme

Flood modelling predicted rising sea levels would threaten 4000 homes and adjacent infrastructure including the A63 highway, mainline Hull rail network, electrical substations and water and sewerage facilities across this low-lying urban area.

As part of a wider flood defence scheme, we worked alongside local stakeholders to deliver an almost 465m linear glazing wall atop a reinforced concrete wall. Steel pedestrian and vehicle flood gates provide access through the defences to the foreshore.

As a flat and largely residential area below the Humber bridge also crossed by the Yorkshire Wolds Way, the Hessle defence project presented a need for comprehensive flood defence with low impact on the views of the river, without compromising on the flood defence of the design.

Following design consultations, flood glazing to the high water level combined with reinforced concrete walls created a flood defence solution that impacted the character of the area as little as possible, without compromising on defensive capabilities. Across pedestrian access gates, we combined steel with flood glazing to ensure the maximum glazing area could be provided, ensuring river views were maintained. 

Extensive hydraulic post-push testing up to 10KN loads was undertaken across the glazing design, to ensure that the expanse of post and glass was suitable to hold back the power of the Humber when called upon.

Steel flood gates provide the area with both pedestrian and vehicle access along the length of the structure. Initially scoped by the client as hydrologically operated sliding floodgates, raising concerns over electrical install costs for the client. Our design time put forward a solution of  bi-folding manual flood gate, designed to allow for a single operator to seal manually. Our recommendation provided a solution that provides a significant saving in both install time and project costs to the client, without adding the need for large operational teams on site during high water.

Completed in 2021, Defences in Hessle will help to reduce the risk of flooding for more than 100,000 properties in the city of Hull, forming part of wider investment works valued at £200 million across East Riding of Yorkshire in flood defence.

The Hessle Foreshore Tidal Defence Scheme has gone on to be named Civils Project of the Year at the National Constructing Excellence Awards 2022.