by Jamie Stephens

jstephens@thekmgroup.co.uk

Margate takes a step further away from floods catastrophe next month.

Work will begin on a landmark flood and coast protection scheme for the seafront in October.

Although the council concedes the £6million project will cause some disruption, the consequences of the tide breaching the existing seawall could be dire.

The potential cost of this has been estimated at £65million worth of damage with nearly 500 properties in the Old Town at risk.

Cllr Simon Moores, Cabinet member for customer services and regulatory services, said: "As Margate is a flood risk area, the improved coastal defences will reduce the likelihood of tidal flooding in the town for the next 50 years. "

Impact on residents and visitors during construction

Closure of the pavement on the seaward side of Marine Drive and some of the Parade

Closure of the Harbour Arm from late October until March 2012

Both lanes of the road will be narrowed whilst the work is ongoing

The pay parking bays along the landward side of Marine Drive will be unavailable for the whole work

Alternative provision for businesses along Marine Drive for deliveries.

Once the defence system is in place its calculated that the risk of flooding in the now thriving Old Town will be reduced from a once in 20-year event to a once in 200-year event.

The scheme will involve strengthening the Harbour Arm and the installation of a new sea wall on Marine Drive and the Parade.

The most noticeable feature of the additional protection for Margate will be a new defence structure around the Kings Steps area consisting of a series of wide steps from the beafch to the promenade to reduce the impact of waves during stormy weather.

Work has already started on sea defences near the Turner Contemporary but Cllr Moores says a necessary byproduct of phase 2 of the additional protection will be some traffic and parking problems over the period that the work is carried out.

"The sheer scale of what we're doing however will mean that some level of disruption will occur.

"We need to ensure that businesses and residents in the area are fully aware of what is planned to ensure that any disruption is kept to an absolute minimum."