East Suffolk Council
Southwold Sea Wall repair
East Suffolk Council’s Coastal Management Team is carrying out repairs to the toe of a stretch of sea wall in Southwold, north of Southwold Pier. These works are due to begin on 22 April 2025 and be completed ahead of the school summer holidays at the end of July.
In March 2025, East Suffolk Council’s repairs and maintenance contractor, the Water Management Alliance, completed repairs to the damaged section of promenade north of Southwold Pier following a partial collapse of the promenade in December.
Erosion damage to the toe, which is usually underneath beach material, had previously been identified and repairs were scheduled for later this year. However recent erosion had exposed this area more quickly than expected, which resulted in the partial collapse of the promenade and the repair works have been brought forward as quickly as possible.
Contractor Balfour Beatty will be installing new sheet piles in front of the existing piles to help prevent them being eroded by the sea when beach levels are low. This work follows on from similar works completed to the north end of the seawall in 2023.
Piling will cause noise and vibration. However, we will let people know well in advance when those periods of noise will be.
This work will provide important maintenance to the seawall north of Southwold Pier and is an important part of our commitment to ensure that the coastal assets in Southwold are working effectively and are safe for the public. Undertaking regular targeted maintenance means that we can maximise the lifespan of coastal protection assets, ensuring that we make the most of every pound spent and achieve a better return on public investment.
Both car parks north of Southwold Pier will remain open while work is underway. The works compound will be in the East Suffolk Council car park so there will be a reduced number of spaces for the duration of the work.
The beach and promenade south of the works location is open as usual. There will be no impact to the beach and promenade south of Southwold Pier.
We are working closely with the East Suffolk Council Resorts Team to keep Beach Hut owners informed of progress and thank them for their patience.
This page will be regularly updated with information about progress of the works.