Havre des Pas coastal flood alleviation project

A 2D physical model of a seawall
Havre des Pas

Havre des Pas coastal flood alleviation project

A 2D physical model of a seawall
Title: 2D Physical Model of Seawall – Havre des Pas Coastal Flood Alleviation Project
Location: Jersey, Channel Islands; Plymouth ( COAST laboratory)
Dates: December 2025 – April 2026
Project partners: AECOM
University of Plymouth PI: Professor Alison Raby 
 
We are undertaking scale model tests in the Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) laboratory to investigate wave–structure interaction and overtopping processes under controlled and repeatable laboratory conditions testing.
The testing is in support of new coastal defences being designed for the Havre des Pas Coastal Flood Alleviation Project in Jersey. Several frontages are being investigated, including one with slipway and stoplogs.

Objectives

  • Validate desktop wave overtopping assessment, including sensitivity testing.

Context of the issue 

Sea level rise at Havre des Pas is increasing the risk of the popular beach frontage suffering coastal flooding.

How the project addresses the issue

New sea defences are aimed at protecting the site against a once-in-200-year return period event combined with sea level rise estimates for the year 2130.
Pictured: scale model tests of one of the frontages in the COAST lab's 35 m wave flume – note the incoming wave
Experiment in a wave tank at the COAST laboratory

Centre for Coastal and Ocean Processes and Engineering (C-COPE)

C-COPE brings together strength areas from across the University's Faculty of Science and Engineering with a research focus on the physical and chemical processes in coastal, ocean and marine environments, and their human impacts.
The Centre's sphere of interest stretches from the head of tidal estuaries to the bottom of the ocean, and includes the disciplines of physical oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, coastal engineering and marine geology.
 
Tuvalu Tepuka atoll