A vital £1million plus scheme to strengthen crumbling sea walls at Holland-on-Sea has been given the green light.

Tendring District Council (TDC) put forward a programme of works for the York Road area.

The project has now received the necessary funding clearance from the Environment Agency following a meeting last month and the aim is to start on site in September.

Planning permission for the scheme is already in place.

The total cost of the work is £1.139 million and it will be completed before the end of March 2010. It includes replacing the sea wall with a new concrete stepped defence to repel wave action and reduce erosion.

The whole initiative will use the successful process of repairs which were undertaken less than a mile away in the Hazlemere Road area of the town.

That scheme has now been completed and access to that area of the lower promenade was restored earlier this month.

Charlie Sambridge, Cabinet Member for Technical and Procurement Services at TDC, said he was delighted that the Environment Agency had approved the project at York Road.

"We now have confirmation that the work can go ahead and that the money is in place to do so," he said.

"The aim is to get on with this scheme as soon as possible and we plan to start work on September 14."

Cllr Sambridge said that the loss of beach material over the last two years has left the defences in danger of collapse in this section of the lower promenade.

Mark Johnson, Area Coastal Manager for the Environment Agency, said the Agency is really pleased to see further work going ahead at Holland-on-Sea.

"Together with the completed works at Hazlemere Road and Jaywick to the south, around £13 million will have been invested on coastal defences on the Tendring Peninsula since 2008," he added.

The Council has already started to identify other areas where work will be needed in the near future.

The next critical section is from Cliff Road to York Road in Holland-on-Sea and the programme there will cost around £2million.

Following inspections along the coastline TDC is also earmarking a stretch of sea wall at Holland Haven, next to Gunfleet Boating Club, for attention in the near future.

23/6/09