Knights Brown has been appointed as principal contractor for the Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill Flood Defence Scheme, a £29.4 million project designed to protect Poole town centre from tidal flooding and support long-term regeneration.

The appointment was made under a two-stage design and build contract.

The scheme, delivered in partnership with BCP Council and South West Flood & Coastal, will address the last remaining undefended section of Poole's waterfront. It will provide 1.5km of continuous flood defences along the eastern side of Holes Bay, safeguarding homes, businesses and infrastructure from present and future flood risks.

Construction is scheduled to begin in August 2025. Works in Zone A — from Holes Bay Path to Lifeboat Quay, will raise existing pathways to 2.65m AOD by upgrading embankments and rock revetments. Zone E — from the RNLI car park to Poole Bridge, will follow in autumn, featuring a 3.6m AOD steel tubular and sheet-piled wall with flood gates. Both zones are expected to take about 18 months to complete.

-- Advertisement --

More than 570 properties currently face tidal flood risk, a figure projected to rise to over 2,000 within the next century due to climate change and sea level rise.

Mike Crook, Divisional Director at Knights Brown, said: "We're delighted to be awarded this local scheme, which we know will be of great benefit to the community. Our extensive experience in coastal and marine civil engineering extends across southern England and Wales. This includes projects such as the North Portsea scheme where 1.9km of flood defences are currently under construction; a 1.2km concrete faced, stepped apron and sheet pile toe wall just completed at Mumbles, South Wales; and the Falklands Jetty upgrade at Marchwood Port in Southampton. We're very happy to be getting work underway on this transformative project."

Holes Bay's salt marsh and mudflat ecosystems, which provide vital habitat for wintering wading birds and wildfowl, are protected as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, a Special Protection Area (SPA), and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Environmental safeguards will include a bubble curtain to contain sediment disturbance during construction and the use of ecological engineering techniques — such as pole and pontoon hulas — to boost marine biodiversity at key locations.

The scheme is funded by the Environment Agency and BCP Council’s Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy and overseen by South West Flood & Coastal. Once complete, it will open up opportunities for new public waterfront routes and mixed-use developments in Poole.