Benacre & Kessingland Flood Management Project

Project Overview

The Benacre & Kessingland Flood Management Project aims to reduce flood risk in Kessingland and the Lothingland Valley while delivering wider environmental and community benefits. Construction began in Spring 2025 and is expected to finish by Summer 2030.

Originally built in 1955, the Environment Agency’s 70-year-old Benacre pumping station near Kessingland has exceeded its lifespan. Adding to these concerns, the Benacre Ness sand and shingle ridge that has historically protected the station is steadily moving north, leaving it exposed to coastal erosion. To tackle this urgent issue, the realignment scheme will construct inland flood defences, including;

• An embankment spanning the Lothingland Valley to manage tidal flooding and a pumping station to manage river levels.
• An embankment around Kessingland’s Parkdean Resorts to manage tidal flooding and a pumping station to manage surface water for the village.

The Lothingland station features three 3 meter diameter Archimedes screw pumps that will lift water 4.5 meters over the flood embankment. The flow rate will be as low as 0.75m³/second up to full capacity of 10.2m³/second. This is more than double the current stations capacity accounting for climate change predictions for intense rainfall events. The Kessingland station features one 2 meter diameter Archimedes screw pump that will lift water 4.5 meters over the flood embankment . This replaces a gravity discharge from the village of Kessingland improving water level management back to the village.

The project will be completed by decommissioning and demolishing the ageing Environment Agency pumping station.