Laytown sea defence work starts this week
WORK is to start this week on replacing 75m of the existing bagion protection on Laytown beach, badly impacted by storms in 2014.
The project is expected to take 15 weeks and will see a new rock armour construction replace it.
It will cost in the region of €300,000. Engineer Jim Colwell told last week’s area meeting that the process began four years ago.
The gabion structure was built in the early 90s and is now in a poor condition.
Railings will also be erected and the area on top of the armour units will be finished with tarmac allowing it to become a viewing area.
The armour is made of pre-cast concrete and the area around the work will be cordoned off.
A traffic management plan is being put in place but the main road will not be impacted.
‘We had to go to An Bord Pleanala to get permission and we just got approval from the minister for a foreshore licence,’ he told councillors.
Cllr Tom Kelly said it was long overdue but up the coast was also being impacted by coastal erosion.
‘ The lower car park is also dangerous,’ he claimed.
Cllr Eimear Ferguson agreed, saying the racefield also needed to be protected.
Cllr Stephen McKee added that Mornington was also feeling the impact of the sea.
Mr Colwell accepted there were issues elsewhere, but this project was purely concentrating on the Laytown stretch.
Cllr Paddy Meade felt that the task ahead was fixing this part of the beach and he hoped it could be carried out and completed as soon as possible.