Shining a light on our role in the Skegness Gateway project

Since 2020, Create has been involved with the Skegness Gateway project, providing a variety of technical services and advice in relation to water management and flood risk mitigation. As detailed in a recent article by the New Civil Engineer, East Lindsey District Council recently and unanimously resolved to formally adopt the Skegness Gateway Local Development Order, which grants planning consent for some 136 hectares of development.

Skegness Gateway will provide a bustling new urban extension, new residential areas and associated amenities, the creation of hundreds of new jobs, and countless educational opportunities within the Further Education College. The scheme also includes proposals for tourism uses, a new supported living establishment, green open spaces, and a local centre comprising a convenience store, public house, and various retail amenities.

We are thrilled to see Skegness Gateway recognised in this article in New Civil Engineer this week, which praises the exemplar scheme, emphasising the £151M Flood Risk Resilience Fund (FRRF), managed by the introduction of a Specialist Estate Management Company to protect the new homes. The article highlights the significant new protection measures to ensure the site remains safe from coastal flooding, including the flood education and evacuation programme, raising of ground levels, and flood mitigation areas, all of which provide a solution to protect Skegness Gateway and the wider region.

Our Water & Flood Risk team has undertaken detailed tidal breach and overtopping modelling to produce a robust assessment of the possible flood risks to Skegness Gateway and surrounding areas. Owing to the meticulous modelling approaches, we have developed a comprehensive and viable, truly innovative flood risk mitigation strategy that will enable the scheme to bring prosperity to the region whilst contributing positively to flood defence strategies along the coastline and protecting communities.

Our involvement with the scheme has been a long-term commitment and labour of love, working closely alongside landowners Croftmarsh, East Lindsey District Council, and the Environment Agency. Over the past four years, our team has developed a detailed understanding of Skegness and the surrounding area, robust partnerships with local authorities, and an enhanced technical capability which has greatly benefited the project. We are continuing to provide technical services and advice to enable the scheme to move forward through the LDO process.

Below is a sample of the hydraulic modelling exercise we have undertaken for a breach along the East Coast, known to affect the site of the proposed scheme. The clip provides an example of how the floodwaters may react in the event of a breach in the existing flood defences along the coastline. This example from the modelling exercise illustrates the 1-in-200 year flood event, with climate change being incorporated up until the lifetime of the development, in approximately 2142. The red outline shows the Skegness Gateway project.

“Regenerating the area is hugely important to everyone involved with the project. Flood risk must always be taken seriously and by developing the FRRF, Croftmarsh has gone the extra mile to not only ensure that this new development is protected but also brought a willingness to play an active role in mitigation efforts to enable the regeneration of the wider Skegness area. It represents a significant investment in the future of Skegness and its coastal economy. It has been a pleasure to work with such a diligent, considerate project team who are deeply invested in the area.”

Graham Sinclair, Technical Director (Water & Flood Risk)

“Developing the Skegness Gateway project has been a great challenge, however with Create’s technical knowledge, determination, and skills, we have achieved our early objectives and aspirations. The experience of working alongside Graham and his team has been nothing short of exceptional. I have no doubts that the services and attention they have provided us shall continue as we progress to the next stage. Their strategic and technical guidance has allowed us to review the area and clearly define a strategy to manage and mitigate flooding, ensuring we were able to present East Lindsey District Council with a truly viable scheme that we hope will bring a new lease of life to Skegness and help maintain its coastal economy for decades to come.”

Stuart Robinson, Project Director at Croftmarsh

For more information on the Skegness Gateway project and to keep up-to-date with its progress, please visit https://skegnessgateway.co.uk