Work continues on West Hoe harbour

There has been quite a bit of activity on the eastern arm of the West Hoe Harbour recently. As you may remember, on December 15 The Beagle reported on the severe damage to the eastern wall resulting from Storm Bram.

The Captain is delighted to say that he was wrong about the chance of the wall surviving. It did and, very much looks as if, it will.

The initial repair involved casting a reinforced concrete wall at either side of the hole in the pier and a floor between them. A blockwork wall has now been built on either side of the hole and concrete is being poured in 50-60cm thick lots to fill the hole.

It will require a number of further concrete pours to fill the hole. Each one can only be so thick, and needs to fully harden before the next pour. The Captain was fortunate to meet one of the engineers supervising the repair – a man with considerable experienced of coastal work. He assured me that the repairs were going to be done properly and, when asked if the repairs were good for at least 50 years, agreed that this was so.

So, for once, a bit of good news about our shore infrastructure. The Captain vows to keep his beady eye on the repairs as they progress.