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Consultant High Point Rendel has reached the finals of the Flemming Awards - an annual British Geotechnical Association (BGA) award sponsored by Cementation Foundations Skanska in honour of Ken Fleming's contribution to excellence in geotechnical design and construction.

Last year, the firm beat off competition from three other firms to win the scheme for client the West Dorset District Council. Lyme Regis, a gateway town to the Dorset World Heritage Site, is situated on one of the most unstable and actively eroding stretches of coastline in the UK and over the centuries, various coast defence structures - including sea walls and the famous 13th century Cobb - have been constructed to protect the town against attack from the sea and provide increased stability for the town.

The scheme has four main parts:

• Foreshore works - comprising 112,000 tonnes of imported sand and shingle beach replenishment with beach holding structures including a new 250m long sea wall, two masonry-faced jetties, and two rock armour breakwaters;
• Land stabilisation works - including the installation of soil nails and 1,150 bored piles, trench and counterfort drains, slope regrading and earthworks, reinforced earth, retaining structures, and extensive drainage improvements;
• Cobb Road stabilisation - for Dorset County Council comprising, piling, retaining structures and highway drainage to improve the stability of the road worth approximately £1m;
• Extensive landscape design works - in both private and public garden areas including an extensive new planting scheme, hard landscaping, improved footpath links, woodland walks, an elevated timber boardwalk and even a new mini golf course.

The construction of the works will have a major impact on the local residents and businesses in this important tourist area and to minimise construction disturbance the contractor will have to meet major constraints relating to programme and sequencing of the works.

The works are being constructed using the ECC (Engineering & Construction Contract) Form of Contract - Option C which has clearly defined roles for the project manager and the supervisor.