As well as ports, our villages, towns, cities, heavy industry and utility infrastructure are often located on our coasts and estuaries. Such positioning brings unique opportunities and challenges for design, consenting and the operation of our coastal infrastructure, many of which are becoming more complex with climate change. 

ABPmer has a 75-year history helping clients plan, design and consent development around our coasts and estuaries. Working with natural processes underpins everything we do, and through this focus on nature-based solutions, we are market leaders in marine habitat creation and restoration. 

We work closely with a range of sectors to manage flood risk and resilience including:

• Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Authorities
• Waterside developers
• Power and utility providers
• Planners and multi-disciplinary consultancies

Our services support all stages of a project’s lifecycle:

• Feasibility, site assessment and options appraisal
• Consents and licensing
• Design, build and Operations & Maintenance (O&M)

Feasibility, site assessment and options appraisal

To manage coastal risk, it is important developers have a robust understanding of the complex marine conditions affecting the sites. Our specialists often support developments early in the process through:

• Masterplanning support
• Site characterisation
• Options appraisal and feasibility studies
• Habitat creation and enhancement studies
• Survey specification and data collection

Masterplanning support

Masterplanning is the first step in creating an area’s economic and environmental potential.

Our specialists deliver coastal process and numerical modelling services to support Concept Masterplans and Detailed Masterplans in the UK and overseas. These include:

• Rapid Coastal Assessments to quickly understand how the designs are meeting their objectives (e.g. coastal protection or managing the need for dredging)
• Numerical modelling to understand the hydrodynamic and wave conditions of the site
• Water quality and flushing studies

Site characterisation

Site characterisation ensures developments are environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically viable. We collate and review available wave, hydrodynamic sediment transport and environmental data to understand key site characteristics of relevance to engineering design and environmental consenting.    

Options appraisal and feasibility studies

A robust site or option assessment is vital to determine the most appropriate outline design. Our marine specialists undertake multi-criteria analysis, options appraisal and feasibility studies based on a detailed knowledge of the marine constraints alongside legal and policy requirements. 

Habitat creation and enhancement studies

Marine, coastal and estuarine habitats are increasingly being recognised for the opportunities they offer in making coastlines more resilient.

As part of feasibility studies or as standalone projects, our specialists regularly investigate the opportunities and constraints in delivering nature-based solutions for flood and coastal erosion risk management, and assess the wider ecosystem service and natural capital benefits they bring.

We support clients throughout the project lifecycle from site selection through to post consent monitoring.   

Survey specification and data collection

All developments and management options must be underpinned by an understanding of the baseline environment. We deliver the full complement of survey capability, supporting projects with hydrographic, metocean, ecological, environmental, geophysical and topographic surveys.

Consents and licensing

The consenting of projects around our coasts and estuaries is complex due to their ecological and social value. We have a wealth of experience in marine consenting and licensing throughout the project lifecycle, including port developments, energy and utility infrastructure, coastal defences and habitat creation.

We support the licensing and consenting of coastal infrastructure through:

• Environmental assessment
• Marine licence and consents
• Habitat compensation and mitigation
• Survey and monitoring

Environmental assessment

We regularly support and deliver Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for coastal developments, either coordinating the whole process, or contributing to EIA elements through specialist marine assessments, including:

• Coastal process studies
• Water and sediment quality surveys
• Marine ecology assessments, including underwater noise
• Fisheries assessments
• Ornithological survey
• Maritime navigation reviews

Undertaking all types of assessment, our specialists take a proportionate, evidence-based approach tailored to the location, nature of the development and project risks, supported by numerical modelling, marine survey and other bespoke assessments. 

Marine licence and consents

Our dedicated consents and licensing specialists support all stages of a project’s lifecycle, from feasibility and site selection through to the supporting assessments for consent, securing mitigation and compensation measures, stakeholder engagement and ongoing post-consent support through the construction, operational and decommissioning phases.

Habitat compensation and mitigation

Much of our marine, coastal and estuarine environments are protected for their nature conservation value. As a result, some developments require habitat mitigation or compensation to obtain consent.

Our consultants identify, assess and deliver habitat compensation and mitigation schemes at both strategic and project level. 

Survey and monitoring

All assessments for consent are underpinned by an understanding of the baseline environment. Our specialist surveyors ensure all necessary surveys and sampling are undertaken in accordance with requirements. We regularly specify survey and monitoring programmes along with management and quality assurance.

Design, build and O&M

The successful design and operation of coastal infrastructure is dependent on understanding the coastal conditions (waves, tides and sediment transport) at the site. Engineers and operators require a good understanding of these conditions, as they can impact and influence their designs operationally, and in terms of safety (e.g. flood risk) and cost.

We support design and construction projects for engineering consultancies, renewable developers, port operators, transport infrastructure providers, utility companies, contractors and flood and coastal erosion risk authorities.

Our marine and coastal design conditions have contributed to the design of sea walls and beaches, jetties and slipways to power station and utility intakes and outfalls.

Numerical modelling

Numerical modelling simulates and predicts the physical and dynamic properties of the marine environment; a crucial tool to inform understanding of coastal conditions for infrastructure design.

We are known for our extensive experience and expertise in marine numerical modelling, often supported by calibration data collected by our in-house survey team. These models are built to represent conditions in two or three dimensions and coupled where required.

Our specialists undertake regional and local spectral wave modelling to derive operational and extreme wave criteria, as well as assessing the impact of local wave climate, run for specific periods or extended durations for hindcasting. 

Within ports and harbours where the processes of diffraction and reflection are more critical, we undertake more complex Boussinesq wave modelling to simulate the processes of wave disturbance and agitation.

To provide reliable predictions of currents, flows and water levels we routinely use hydrodynamic modelling tools to replicate complex hydrodynamic processes, both independently and coupled with sediment transport modules to predict patterns of sediment transport and the effects of infrastructure on processes of erosion and accretion.

Hydrodynamic models are also used for sediment dispersion, water quality and flushing studies supporting the design of a range of coastal infrastructure including intakes and outfalls for utilities and power stations to marina design.

Wave and hydrodynamic model data is also used to predict shoreline and coastal change through one- and two-dimensional coastal evolution modelling. 

Extremes and joint probability analysis

Knowing the operational and extreme metocean conditions at a site are fundamental to design, operation and maintenance of structures in the marine and coastal environment. 

We have delivered operational and extreme conditions for coastal and estuarine infrastructure for over 50 years. Our experienced consultants use a range of assessment methodologies to determine extreme wave and water levels for design and overtopping studies, tailored to project requirements and location. 

These can be univariate or joint probability extremes, underpinned by up to 40 years of hindcast data from regional hindcasts or bespoke local modelling. We also provide details on extreme wind and current conditions, as well as meteorological data and sea water properties.

Beach design

As the industry seeks to work more with natural processes in the face of a changing climate, the use of beaches in flood and coastal erosion risk management is becoming more important.

Our coastal geomorphologists use a range of tools and methodologies to determine the relationship between local metocean conditions and shoreline change. From this we derive beach design criteria along with monitoring strategies and triggers for intervention for beach and shoreline management. 

Ready to speak to one of our infrastructure specialists about your requirements? Get in touch.