Work on the West Kirby flood wall gathering pace

The new flood protection wall along South Parade in West Kirby is literally taking shape now.

The distinctive ‘wave’ design of the 1.2m high wall can now be seen clearly from the Riversdale Road end of the promenade towards the junction with Salisbury Avenue and it is believed that by the end of January the installation of the pre-cast wall units will have been completed all the way down towards the Old Baths Site.

With the wall units in place, works around them can then take place as the contractors move closer towards the completion of the scheme.

Between Riversdale Road and Salisbury Avenue, new lighting columns are starting to be installed and will be switched on in the next couple of weeks. From Riversdale to Dee Lane, all preliminary works to the promenade and kerb are now complete and surfacing of the new promenade will begin this week. Resurfacing of the highway will begin at the end of January.

As the wall units continue to be installed further along South Parade, the same pattern of related works will follow.

In the meantime, specialist contractors are setting to work on some of the public realm features that were a key part of what people said they would like to see when the consultation exercises took place a couple of years ago. These include features on the gateways at access points and waymarkers, as well as a compass incorporated at the Old Baths Site.

As the wall takes shape, people are noticing that there ‘gaps’ are various points. These are, of course, to allow access to people wanting to walk along the lake-side pavement of the promenade.

When there is the potential for flooding to occur, these access points will be secured by a combination of hinged gates, sliding gates and demountable barriers. For ease of reference, each access point will have names engraved into the face of the wall.

These gates at each access point have been designed so that access to the promenade and marine lake walkway can be restored very quickly after any flood risk has subsided.

Hinged gates will be located at the ends and middle of the promenade and also around the Watersports Centre. The sliding gates will be installed at Sandy Lane and also the entrance and exit to the Watersports Centre, while the rest will be covered by aluminium demountable barriers, stored at the Watersports Centre when not required.