Standing Up to the Storms
Repairing the damage of twenty foot waves
The beach at Long Rock is backed by sea defences that carry the South West Coast path and cycle route between Penzance and Marazion. Just beyond it is the mainline railway that connects Penzance to London.
After major storms in 2016, the foundations of the concrete sea wall at Long Rock were on the verge of collapse. The Environment Agency and Cornwall Council consulted with Cormac to design a sheet pile and rock armour defence solution that would protect against the complete breakdown of the sea wall.
During the storms a three hundred and sixty metre stretch of sand dunes had been eroded and threatened the stability of the nearby coast path and railway line. Cormac, along with their partners designed a rock armour solution to protect this section of the coastline. Thirteen thousand tonnes of three-to-five tonne boulders, had to be placed on top of smaller stones, completing rock armour sea defences that now run all the way along the shoreline into Penzance.