River Camel, Camelford, Cornwall – UK

Project Overview

A 20m length of dry-stone wall on the bank of the River Camel provides retention for a road giving access to a number of residential properties and a nursing home. Vegetation, including 10m high trees, were growing out through the wall causing buckling and fracturing of the structure. The key risk associated with the wall, in this condition, is the likelihood of high river flows causing the bank to become saturated. If this occurs in combination with strong wind, which is often the case during flood events, there is a risk of the trees and roots collapsing which will cause a breach in the wall and subsequent flooding to the properties.

Solution

Platipus Anchors were requested by the Environment Agency to produce a conceptual design to offer a robust, cost effective remedial solution. The brief was to provide a retaining structure reinforcement option to the existing wall rather than build a new retaining wall. Following the removal of vegetation and pollarding of the trees, Platipus Percussion Driven Earth Anchors (PDEA^®) were driven between the dry stones to reinforce the structure. The narrow chisel pointed profile of the stealth anchor allowed easy passage through the stones. Each and every anchor provides a load of 30kN (3 tonnes) which is spread between anchor points by a rock fall mesh. A recessed bronze pattress plate provides an aesthetically pleasing finish to this public facing structure.