Heavy machinery in place as ambitious project begins to double size of Southsea Beach
Heavy machinery has been moved into the beach at Eastney as part of the next phase of works to create new sea defences in the city.
Sections of the beach are now closed off as the team begin work to add around one million tonnes of shingle to it between the Pyramids and the Coffee Cup café in Eastney.
This is part of a measure to double the beach area which will then prevent ‘overtopping’ during storms as the additional shingle will reduce the energy of the waves.
The beach near the Pyramids and South Parade Pier is being closed as heavy machinery is used to pipe the shingle ashore and stockpile it ready to be moved along the beach. Then, in mid-November this will be extended in stages up to the Coffee Cup in Eastney.
The promenade and local businesses will remain open, but there will be some localised road closures at The Dell and Clarence Esplanade. The beach will then reopen section-by-section, starting at the Coffee Cup and progressively opening from the east end from mid-December. Limited access to the beach west of the pier is expected from January 2026.
Due to the tidal nature of the work, from mid-November, working hours may also be outside of the normal hours of 7am to 7pm.
On top of this, work to extend the Canoe Lake outfall pipe by 60 metres out to sea just east of South Parade Pier will be included in this phase of works, with localised closures in place and work being carried out over the winter to minimise disruption.
Weather permitting, the shingle placement is expected to be completed by March 2026, after which work to rebuild the promenade and old sea defences will begin. The shingle itself comes from licensed dredging zones southeast of the Isle of Wight, selected to avoid sensitive habitats.
Led by Portsmouth City Council and delivered by Coastal Partners and VSBW, this is the largest local authority-led flood defence scheme in the UK.
Meanwhile works continue to create new sea defences to the south of Southsea Common, with the Esplanade due to remain closed until summer next year.