Integrated coastal protection and harbour project at Ostend, Belgium

The town of Ostend is a typical Belgian sea resort with an at present relatively small harbour, although for many centuries Ostend was one of the important ports on the Southern North sea. The town center is protected against flooding by a seawall which was built some 130 years ago. The sea wall does not meet present safety standards against breaching and overtopping, and is one of the critical points in the coastal protection along the Belgian coast. Important infrastructure works such as new quay walls and new terminals were executed in the harbour in the last decennium with the aim to make the harbour accessible to cruise ships, jumbo ferries and cargo ships with lenghts up to 200 m. However for the harbour to receive these ships, also important modification works of the harbour access are necessary. Detailed coastal and harbour engineering studies were executed and coastal protection and nautical problems were approached in an integrated way. Very important attention had to be paid to urban development and architectural aspects. An environmental impact study proved essential. An extensive communication campaign was organised to inform the broader public. The project thus became a case study in integrated coastal zone management. The integrated coastal protection and harbour project finally comprises mainly the construction of two new breakwaters, the execution of a beach nourishment and the construction of a new section of sea wall. One of the breakwaters will be equiped with an attractive pier as a new promenade. This paper gives a description of the integrated project, a summary of the different and varied technical studies, and information about the ecological aspects, the architectural and urban planning aspects, and the communication aspects.