We are delighted to be returning to the award-winning Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour on the Beaulieu River to undertake a major regeneration project. Taking place over two winters, it will involve a complete rebuild of the marina including extensions to the piers and the refurbishment and re-use of the existing pontoons. Walcon fitted the first pontoons for the original marina in 1971, but much of the current infrastructure was installed in 1980 using Walcon’s then new System 2000 aluminium pontoons. These remain in excellent condition, so much so that most of them will be re-used.
The refurbishment / extension will be undertaken in two phases. Phase one will take place over the coming autumn and winter, beginning on 1st October. Walcon will begin by removing the fuelling dock together with the upstream piers D, E and F. They will be stored on-site while dredging takes place before being installed in their new positions and refurbished in position. All the new pontoons will be delivered to the Beaulieu River in mid-November for the assembly of the extended piers plus their finger pontoons over the following months.
Walcon will also remove the old greenheart timber piles, which will be re-used or replaced with new piles sympathetic to their surroundings. This entire process will then be repeated over 2020/21 for the lower piers A, B and C. The overall result will be an additional 60 berths capable of taking boats up to 20 metres in length.
The works will take place with due consideration to the sensitivity of the area as well as in a sustainable manner. In addition to refurbishing and re-using the existing pontoons, Walcon will eliminate any additional road traffic to the site by accessing the Beaulieu River mainly by sea, using its three barges to bring the pontoons to and from the site, and from which they will be placed in the water and installed. The Walcon Wizard barge will undertake the piling, also directly from Vancouver Wharf.
“It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to be involved in this transformative project at Bucklers Hard,” says Walcon managing director James Walters, “and we are very pleased to be working with Marina Projects once again. They have put in a lot of effort alongside the Beaulieu Estate to create an efficient design for this site, obtain all the necessary permissions and organise the logistics. We are also very happy to be working once again with ML Dredging and Rolec Services. In all, it’s a good team and we look forward to delivering a result that will deliver safe and comfortable berthing for another 40 years in this stunning location.”
Beaulieu Enterprises Managing Director Russell Bowman said: “The redevelopment represents a significant investment in the future of the Beaulieu River and is an important part of ensuring it remains one of the most desirable places to visit and moor a yacht. We are pleased to be working with Walcon once again after a partnership of nearly 50 years and the project will be undertaken in a sensitive and sustainable way to preserve the river’s unique character.’’