Piling and retaining walls for the extension of Newark Marina

Installing a multidiscipline solution for the extension of a marina

Newark Marina, based on the non-tidal section of the River Trent, offers a safe and tranquil location for boating enthusiasts with scenic views over open fields and countryside and within walking distance of the historic town of Newark-on-Trent. From the marina, boaters can cruise the picturesque rivers towards Nottingham, Lincoln and York or access the coast via Boston to the Wash and Hull to the Humber.

On behalf of the main client Newark Marina Ltd, Aarsleff Ground Engineering were awarded the contract to install the steel sheet piled walls that would create the new area of water for boats to enter and moor in the marina. The specialist works also included wailings and tie bars for some sections of the wall, along with the installation of steel H-section columns.

In late May 2019, Aarsleff deployed its Movax vibrator hammer mounted on their 34T excavator unit to supply, offload and install 174No. steel sheet piles which formed a retaining wall approximately 104 lin/m in length. In addition to this, 355No. “free issue” steel sheet piles were also installed extending the retaining wall to 220 lin/m.

H-section columns being installed

Once all the sheet piles were installed, the main contractor excavated the ground to the required level and pumped water into the new area of the marina. Some of the phases of work were put on hold due to adverse weather, with heavy rainfall in Autumn 2019 and Winter 2020, causing a lot of the site to be flooded. The next phase of the ground engineering works involved installing 28No. 254mm steel H-section columns of up to 17.5m lengths. These piles were used on the highest section of the retaining wall and were required to ensure the wall could withstand the bearing pressure of a new care home facility to be built adjacent to the marina. These were initially installed with a Movax vibratory hammer to an average of 8m, with the remaining length driven in by a piling rig with a hydraulic hammer.

On the section of the wall closest to the River Trent, the sheet piles were restrained using 203/46-203/71 wailing beams and 20mm-25mm and 32mm Tie bars, which were anchored off an existing sheet piled wall installed on the bank of the river. These provided the necessary stability and performance required for the weight of water within the new section of the marina.

For more than 40 years, the Aarsleff group of companies across Northern Europe have developed the specialist expertise required for marine construction work for projects that include harbours and ferry berths, coastal protection, sea crossings, dredging work, dolphins, piers, outfalls, rivers, embankments and offshore wind foundations. Aarsleff Ground Engineering were therefore the ideal partner for undertaking the redevelopment work at Newark Marina and a local one too – with its head office based just 3km from the site.

Aarsleff Ground Engineering are a piling contractor operating in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Montgomeryshire, Cardigan, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan, South Glamorgan, Brecknockshire, Radnorshire, Monmouthshire, Worcestershire ,Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Isle of Wight, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Hertfordshire.