Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill Flood Defence Scheme 2025-2027

New infrastructure is being constructed to reduce tidal flood risk in Poole town centre, the Old Town and surrounding areas over the next 100 years. Sea wall heights will be raised at intervals to keep pace with rising sea levels.

Overview

Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill is the last remaining undefended waterfront in the town centre. There is a high and present day risk of tidal flooding which increases significantly over the next century due to climate change and sea level rise. BCP Council, in collaboration with the Environment Agency, landowners, developers and other relevant organisations, is working to provide a continuous flood defence (delivered in phases) along 1.5 km of the eastern side of Holes Bay (see the area map above).

Holes Bay Path to Lifeboat Quay (Zone A)

From June – October 2026

The flood defence scheme will blend in with high ground at both ends of Zone A, near Sterte Avenue West on the A350 and at the Aqua Apartments on Lifeboat Quay. The current levels along the Holes Bay path are typically 1.8m Above Ordnance Datum (AOD) (about AOD). The required standard for flood defence purposes is 2.65m AOD. The path will be raised and widened, and the rock revetment will be upgraded. At certain pinch points (where the path cannot be raised), sheet piles will be installed adjacent to the rock revetment. Surface water from the new path will be directed to the grassed area. The raised path will gradually slope down to the existing pedestrian crossings on Holes Bay Road and Lifeboat Quay.

Along Lifeboat Quay, the new defences will run parallel to the road rather than on the water’s edge. This avoids SSEN’s high voltage electricity cables which supply Poole. Two flood gates will be installed – one on the corner of Asda’s water side path and one at the existing zebra crossing. Both gates will be closed when risk of flooding is high, and they allow easy access during normal conditions.

Works in Zone A are expected to take around five months, subject to weather conditions. Thank you for your patience during the construction of these essential flood defences.                                                                                

Sheet piling works – Zone A

The installation of steel sheet piles will take place from the land. We anticipate that the piling works along the Holes Bay path will take approx. four weeks and around Lifeboat Quay Road approx. two weeks, subject to ground conditions. Noise generated from the piling will be in short duration only. Any noise and vibrations are monitored, as per planning conditions to ensure they remain within approved tolerance levels.

Piling Update – 22 July 26:  Piling of the longest 9m sheet piles along Holes Bay path is complete. The continuation of shorter-pile driving will start along Lifeboat Quay, from later today. It will begin next to the Aqua Apartments and move towards the A350. Acoustic barriers will be used with the piling equipment to help minimise noise disturbance. Any noise created comes from the sheets reverberating when they hit solid ground, rather than being caused by the machines and the piling method being used.  We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Holes Bay path – temporary pedestrian and cyclist diversion route from 01 June

Pre-project preparations

Flood risk in Poole

The Poole Harbour and Wareham, Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy (2014) identified that within Central Poole there are 573 properties at high flood risk in the present day, rising to over 2,000 properties at flood risk by 2110. In recognition that regeneration was not forthcoming to provide the flood defences, we tabled the option of a Council-led scheme and it gained outline business case approval by BCP Cabinet in September 2020. Initial funding from the Environment Agency was awarded to the proposed scheme in January 2021 [more]. 

The land along Back Water Channel is in a mixture of different private ownerships. The current quay walls simply retain the earth and are not considered to be flood defence infrastructure. Many do not have a crest level higher than the land behind and some require urgent attention.

Scheme benefits

The benefits of a flood defence scheme, delivered in a single phase, include:

• Mitigating the increasing risk of flooding to people and property, caused by climate change over the next 100 years.
• Contributing positively to public health and well-being by reducing the mental and emotional stress of flooding; as well as the risk to life.
• Improving and enhancing the condition or integrity of the local environmentally designated sites and marine habitats.
• Unlocking land for future redevelopment by private landowners where buildings are expected to provide vibrant ground-floor frontages for businesses and new homes for local people on the upper floors.
• Creating new public quayside and waterfront routes in Poole Harbour for leisure, exercise and commuter use, positively contributing to the areas sustainability.

Potential costs of flood damage without defences

Without the flood defence scheme, the potential cost of tidal flooding damages to town centre infrastructure and properties, over the next 100 years, could exceed £161 million. This is the area highlighted in red on the Benefits map above. By calculating the cost of damages in a ‘do nothing’ scenario it enables us to bid for central government Grant in Aid funding so that we can do something to reduce the flood risk to local communities. The adjacent area (highlighted orange on the map) shows the area which was used to gain funding for the raising of Poole Quay’s flood defences.

An adaptable design

The scheme is split into five zones, A-E as indicated on our Zones map. Each has different interventions planned for 2026/27, 2071 and 2105 so that sea wall levels keep pace with climate change. BCP Council intends to take ownership and maintenance liability for the new flood defences. This is an important aspect of ensuring we can maintain and adapt it in the future to keep pace with sea level rise.

mAOD above refers to metres Above Ordnance Datum. Ordnance Datum is the reference point – at Newlyn, Cornwall – from which all heights and elevations are measured in Great Britain for mapping purposes. Newlyn’s sea level is the zero point at 0m, and AOD (Above Ordnance Datum) is anything higher than that point. 

Environmental considerations

The flood defence scheme is in Poole Harbour which has a range of protected special designations including: Ramsar – wetland sites of international importance, Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Protection Area (SPA). To carry out any work in the Harbour, a number of environmental assessments are required from Natural England, Marine Management Organisation as well as planning consent from BCP Council. Anticipated environmental marine enhancements include benefits for wintering and breeding birds, breeding fish and seahorses & sea sponges.

Funding allocations

The construction cost for the flood defence scheme, delivered in a single phase, is approx. £29.4 million.

The Scheme secured £22.1 million of Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Grant in Aid from Central Government including:

• £12.4 million from the Environment Agency in January 2021 (at the Outline Business Case stage*)
• £3.5 million from Defra in February 2025, when it announced funding for nearly 1,000 UK projects to protect properties most at risk from tidal flooding.
• £6.2 million from the Environment Agency in additional Grant in Aid funding in June 2025 (following detailed design*)

In June 2025, BCP Council considered the Strategic Prioritisation of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and allocated this principal scheme £7.3 million.

CIL can be used to fund a wide range of infrastructure including transport, flood defences, schools, hospitals, and other health and social care facilities. Under Section 216(2) of the Planning Act 2008 and regulation 59, Local Authorities must spend the levy on infrastructure needed to support development. More info at BCP | Community Infrastructure Levy

* Variation in costs is a normal part of scheme design and delivery, increasing from the initial outline costs to a more accurately costed scheme by the end of the detailed design stage. However, the early estimated costs were subject to very significant increases due to Covid-19 and rapid inflation which greatly impacted the price of concrete and steel. The estimated construction costs were revised to circa £29.4 million at the end of detailed design. Approvals for cost increases were subject to the normal Grant in Aid scrutiny, with the business case still representing good value for money due to the significant flood risk across Poole town centre and unlocking of land for development.

More

Once constructed, this new infrastructure will complete flood defences for Poole town centre, the Old Town and surrounding areas. Other schemes include:

• Holes Bay Flood Defences 2018
• Poole Quay Sea Wall 2015-2019