Southsea beach to be rebuilt with over one million tonnes of shingle

A section of Southsea’s beach in Portsmouth, UK will be rebuilt this winter, with more than one million tonnes of shingle set to be imported between October 2025 and March 2026. In a statement, the Southsea Coastal Scheme said the project is expected to see the beach double in size.

The shingle will be dredged from the Solent and deposited onto the beach between the Pyramids and the Coffee Cup café via a pipeline. Initial works will begin in October 2025, with shingle discharging to start in November. Following the completion of the beach import work in March 2026, main construction on new defences will begin.

Marc Bryan, Southsea Coastal Scheme Project Executive, stated that a larger shingle beach is effective at absorbing wave energy, which helps reduce erosion and protects homes and business from coastal flooding. Portsmouth City Council leader Steve Pitt, added that the new beach will bring space for recreation and tourism.

During the works, sections of the beach will be closed to the public, though the promenade and local businesses will remain open. The project is part of the UK’s "largest" local authority-led coastal defences project, worth more than £185 million ($248 million), which aims to reduce flood risk to more than 10,000 homes and 700 business, the statement noted.