Newbiggin Bay coast protection scheme, Northumberland
- Client: Wansbeck District Council
- Principal designer: Atkins
- Principal contractor: Westminster Dredging
- Contract value: £10 million
About the project
Newbiggin Bay’s Coast Protection scheme shows how works to tackle serious sea erosion can be used as an opportunity to safeguard both the physical and economic future of the town.
Newbiggin has been hit three-fold now – by the loss of mining, then a dwindling fishing industry and now a rapidly eroding foreshore and beach. After feasibility studies, Atkins rebuilt the beach in front of the town with 500,000 tonnes of sand and created a 200-metre-long breakwater. Extensive landscaping has included not only promenade improvements – there is a new set of feature steps in the centre of the bay, a playground and raised viewing platforms – but also the UK’s first permanent offshore sculpture: ‘The Couple’, five metres tall, stands on the breakwater.
The client is delighted with the popularity of the scheme: two million hits to a special project website and a dramatic increase in visitors. The scheme has also ushered in new housing developments on derelict land, transport improvements and public display points. Newbiggin is once again firmly on the map.
Judges' comment
"An intelligent solution to a serious problem, bringing huge benefits to Newbiggin."