2018
ST Ives, Cornwall
Cormac
Carnon Contracting
John Grimes Partnership
Rockfall Protection and Slope Stabilisation at St Ives Railway Car Park, Cornwall
Carnon was performing major works at St. Ives
Full view of the Steelgrid HR rockfall drapery system
Steelgrid HR 30 PVC secured to the embankment
View of the top of the embankment, drapery mesh secure
Challenge
The St Ives railway car park, located on the exposed coastline of South Cornwall, sits directly beneath a steep and weathered rock face. Due to prolonged exposure to harsh coastal conditions, the embankment had significantly deteriorated over time, showing clear signs of structural instability. The slope, ranging between 12m and 16m in height, presented an increasing risk of rockfall, posing a serious hazard to vehicles, pedestrians, and nearby infrastructure.
Without intervention, the likelihood of falling debris and slope failure threatened the safe operation of the car park. To address these risks, Cormac initiated essential slope stabilisation and rockfall protection works in collaboration with the John Grimes Partnership, Carnon Contracting, and Maccaferri. The key requirement was to implement a durable and high-performance rockfall mitigation system capable of stabilising the embankment in a challenging coastal environment.
Solution
Maccaferri was selected as the specialist provider of a rockfall protection solution, supplying the Steelgrid HR 30 PVC mesh system. This high-strength steel mesh system is specifically designed for slope stabilisation and rockfall control, offering exceptional tensile strength, stiffness, and high punch load resistance. These properties make it ideal for securing unstable rock faces and preventing surface detachment.
The Steelgrid HR system was installed across the embankment and secured using steel HR anchor plates, U-bolts, and mesh connectors. To reinforce the slope and ensure long-term stability, a total of 485 ground anchors were drilled into the rock face, effectively anchoring the unstable surface layers to more competent strata beneath.
Carnon Contracting carried out the installation works during summer 2018, implementing a comprehensive stabilisation approach. This included the addition of corbelling at the base of the slope to provide further structural support, as well as the application of sprayed concrete to selected anchor locations on the upper embankment to reduce ongoing weathering and erosion.
The completed rockfall protection and slope stabilisation system successfully mitigated the risk of rockfall, enhancing safety for car park users and protecting critical infrastructure. This project demonstrates an effective engineering solution for coastal slope stabilisation using high-performance steel mesh systems.
Used Products
