Flood Defence Scheme, Exeter

Working for the BAM Nuttall Mott MacDonald Joint Venture (BMMJV), EJM delivered the specialist masonry, stone cladding and paving package on the Environment Agency’s Exeter Flood Defence Scheme (Phase 2), centred on Zone 4 along the historic Exeter Quay. As a subcontractor on the wider £32m scheme, we carried out the visible stone finishes that tie the new flood defences back into the conservation setting of the waterfront.

The brief

New reinforced concrete flood defence walls, steps and gates had to sit within a historic, heavily used quayside without looking new. Our job was to clad, pave and reinstate the public realm so the finished works matched the existing historic fabric, to the satisfaction of Exeter City Council’s planning authority.

What we did

• Sawn ashlar and limestone cladding, 180mm thick, to the new reinforced concrete flood defence walls, including the Quay Bridge abutments and the floodgate wall, with masonry coping and specialist wall ties to every course
• Specialist cut L-shaped quoins, and cladding cut into existing structures at the Cricklepit masonry sidewall
• Reinstatement of the historic Quay cobbles, reset in colour-matched mortar, including along the Drexus linear drainage line
• Replacement quayside paving folded to the specified levels and falls, with conservation paving slabs and granite setts
• New quayside steps formed in architectural precast units with an exposed granite aggregate finish
• Sealing the Drexus linear drainage channels and fitting lids
• Masonry cladding, paving and steps at Eagle Cottages and the Malt House
• Two 3.5m wide reinforced-grass vehicular access ramps over the flood embankment at Exwick

Matching old and new

Much of the value was in the finish. Reinstated cobbles, ashlar coursing and colour-matched mortar had to read as part of the original quay while still meeting the levels and falls of a modern flood defence. We agreed samples and details with the joint venture and the planning authority before wider installation, then self-delivered the work with our own masons and plant.

The outcome

The stone cladding, reinstated cobbles and new paving now form the public face of the flood defences along Exeter Quay, protecting the waterfront while keeping its historic character.