The Environment Agency is performing the repair, which will also involve replacing other important maintenance items including worn lock gate cills using cash provided by the UK government.
The construction, which is slated to go from the middle of September 2022 to the beginning of April 2023, will guarantee the tidal barrage’s effectiveness and its capacity to maintain water levels in Sutton Harbour for another ten years.
From October 2022 to the end of March 2023, there will be an impact on how the lock system is used to enter the harbour.
The Environment Agency and chosen contractors Kier will collaborate with Sutton Harbour Company, the statutory harbour authority that runs the lock, Plymouth Fisheries, and Sutton Harbour Marina to successfully plan and operate the harbour access while taking into account the lessons learned from the intervention works on the locks over the past ten years.
In order to support the continuous operation of Plymouth’s fishing fleet, mitigation measures will be put in place to minimize interruption for harbour users during these necessary improvements.
All of the facilities for gasoline, ice, landing, and berthing have been considered.
To minimize interruption to the harbour’s recreational users, the work has been planned to take place throughout the second half of the year.
The lock will continue to operate during the majority of the repairs on a free flow basis (often up to three hours either side of high tide), with a small number of 24-hour closures.
Access for pedestrians using the swing bridge across the lock will continue to be available.
Environmental Agency representative David Harker said:
We are happy to be carrying out this significant repair work, which will guarantee the continuous functionality of the lock gates, to uphold the level of flood protection that Sutton Harbour and the Barbican enjoy.
Additionally, it will guarantee that the fishing and recreational ships will always have access to the harbour.
The bottom seals of the gates must be replaced because they are no longer reliable due to wear and tear.
They might not work when necessary to prevent floods or they might malfunction and cause the harbour to lose water.
In order to prevent the need for more work in the near future, we are also using this opportunity to renovate the stoplog gate, the structure that locks the historic harbour entry.
To make sure the project goes as smoothly as possible, we are collaborating closely with Sutton Harbour Company and our contractor Kier.
Sutton Harbour’s harbormaster, Mark Veale, stated:
It is good news that such a significant investment will be made on this crucial flood defence for the harbour and the city to finish these essential works.
To ensure minimal interruption, we will collaborate closely with the Environment Agency, Kier, and other harbour users.
To put agreed-upon mitigation plans in place, we are already in communication with fishing industry leaders and will work closely with the local and visiting fishing fleets.
To ensure the continued operation of the sector, they are expected to include a planned alternate landing site with truck access to the fish quay during times when access to the harbour is blocked.
The project entails changing the four gate seal assemblies that are already in place and fastened to the lock bed beneath the tidal gates at Sutton Harbour.
Additionally, the nearby flood barriers (also known as stop logs) that were put in place to block off the old harbour entrance will be replaced.
The replacement of the pedestrian walkway above the stop logs will also take place, but not until the project is complete and the busy Easter weekend has passed.
It should just take a week or so to complete this task.
The underwater work will be done by specialized divers, who will be assisted by a shore-based team providing the required assistance.
Work will be done by construction crews that can be accessed from the quaysides.
The project partners have developed a new website, www.lockgates.info, which serves as a resource for all harbour users, nearby businesses, members of the public, and anyone else with an interest in the harbor.