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Who's involved

North Somerset Council has employed Royal Haskoning, specialist coastal engineers, to oversee the Weston seafront enhancements project. Birse Construction and EC Harris are contracted to carry out the work. The Environment Agency is advising on all stages of the project.

Royal Haskoning are an international firm of consulting engineers, architects and environmental scientists. They employ over 3,000 staff world wide with major operations in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. We've been working in partnerhsip with Royal Haskoning's Exeter office on the Weston seafront enhancements scheme since 2004.

They originally undertook a feasibility study into improving the flood defences in the town. The study included a wide range of options with their environmental impact and investigating enhancement to the seafront area to assist the council in achieving their wider town regeneration strategy.

Royal Haskoning are providing site supervision for the construction work.

Birse Coastal and Birse Western, as divisions of Birse Civils Limited, are providing the joint team to undertake the Weston seafront enhancements project supported from Birse Western offices in Gloucester.

Birse Civils Limited is a part of the Balfour Beatty group of companies with a turnover of £255million and is the largest contractor in the UK in coastal defence work. Birse Coastal has a turnover currently in excess of £40million in that type of work and employs 73 staff. Birse Coastal operates nationally, with activities co-ordinated from offices in Chorley, Lancashire.

Birse's extensive experience has been developed on coastal and flood defence schemes over the last seven years, ranging from small, one-off projects to large framework schemes up to a value of £67million. They are experienced in all types of coastal defence work - from simple rock armour schemes through the construction of complicated new revetments and sea walls, to the provision of high quality public realm works.

EC Harris is a leading international consultancy working in the real estate, infrastructure and construction sectors. They have offices worldwide employing over 3,000 people with an annual group turnover in excess of £200million.

Their professional skills include quantity surveying, project management, building surveying, management consultancy, software development, facilities management and 15 other disciplines including engineering and design-related professions.

The Environment Agency is the leading public body for protecting and managing the environment - land, air and water. Its day to day activities include pollution prevention and control, waste regulation, water resources and flood risk management. Their long term aim is to reduce the impact of floods on people and property and work with natural processes where possible to provide benefits for communities and wildlife.

In April 2007 the Environment Agency took on an overview role for sea flooding. This responsibility included working with local authorities to ensure that the resulting flood and coastal erosion works are properly planned, built and maintained to get maximum value for taxpayers' money.