Time to think hard about Penzance's sea defences

The news has been rife with damage and flooding to Penzance and other areaa in Mount's Bay, particularly Newlyn, Porthleven and other areas of West Cornwall.  Although it must be said that this is an extreme weather event, we need to consider the effect this is having on homes, businesses and people's lives. There is a great cost to this all and I think we need to weigh up how spending money on sea defences would save money in the long run.

Small wave hitting Penzance Prom at Wherrytown end pic.twitter.com/gE4uuna2SR
— Dick Straughan (@DickStraughan) February 5, 2014

In particular there is damage to Penzance Harbour and I think for the long term the time has come to seriously consider the benefits of an off shore breakwater. Preferable to rock armour as it would dissipate the force of the sea further out. The problem with rock armour is that it could only be built so high and then waves above that height still impact with full force into the quay (or more properly quays). Is it significant that sections of the South Pier damaged in the storms are already dressed with rock armour?...

As the Royal Haskoning identified even full rock armour doesn't allow for continuous operation of the harbour unlike a breakwater which would. Further to quote:

"It is not, therefore, considered that the structural integrity of the harbour wall will be significantly improved by the construction of rock armour." 

 Although the costs of this would be considerable, what would the cost be of the pieces of the harbour being smashed off like happened in Lamorna over night. The cheaper option of rock armour has been proposed a few times for Penzance, but in the long term it doesn't seem cost effective. Especially when we consider the limited protection it offers and the fact it makes maintenance of the existing structures, shall we say difficult? Or is the right word expensive?

In the short term, the Royal Haskoning report identified significant works that needed to be done in the harbour. Despite this being from a survey in January last year and their report being published in March 2013 this as far as I am aware has not happened. The findings were that urgent work was needed. Masonry was missing, areas needed repointing, staples holding blocks together were rusted and needed replacing and worryingly that there were voids. Also that there was evidence Lighthouse Pier was subsiding and moving away from the adjoining South Pier. These are all the kinds of things that need to be kept on top of. It is troubling that it takes an external consultants to come to a harbour owned by Cornwall Council to point out the need for this work.

The vital harbour aside, perhaps we need to consider also protection of the wider seafront. There is major damage to sections of the prom from the recent storm. It is clear large sections will have to be rebuilt. Again what is the cost? Also the wider costs of houses flooding at the bottom of Morrab Road and the disruption of the road along the prom closing and not for the first time this month. Perhaps in the future it might be better to construct the surface of the promenade with more durable materials, particularly the tiles near the Wherrytown end.  Unfortunately there are not studies and various pushes in the past to protect the prom area from the sea. Work is needed in this regard.

I know it's a tough call in these times when the government is reining in spending. But we need to look to the future and what the cost of our actions will be to the next generation. The time has come to think big, to realise that in the long terms spending now will save money in the future and will protect us.