commissioned PRS Group, principal designers and coastal marine engineers, to devise a solution to protect the town of Largs in North Ayrshire, while also ensuring the safety of RNLI members with a new access ramp.

Civil engineers and building contractors RJ McLeod were appointed to undertake the £4 million sea wall project at the northern end of Largs. This new 300-metre-long sea wall will provide vital protection against wave activity and coastal erosion.

As part of this project, a Legato interlocking concrete block tide protection wall was constructed during low tide, allowing for safe working conditions while the wave wall was built.

Marine engineering and construction company Alchemy Plant & Contracting were tasked with building a new dedicated RNLI ramp at the head of the beach. This ramp will enable the lifeboat to access and leave the water safely at low tide. Previously, the lifeboat was launched from the North Ayrshire Council slipway near the lifeboat station using a tractor and trailer, a process that took valuable time and was unsuitable at low water.

Elite’s Legato concrete blocks were used to construct the new slip, which is now wholly owned by the RNLI. This project coincides with the 60th anniversary of the RNLI in Largs and the 200th anniversary of the RNLI as a whole.

The current slipway has historical significance, having been used as a seaplane base operated by Prestwick-based Scottish Aviation Limited during the Second World War. Built in 1942, it served as a flying boat reception facility and as an overflow for a larger marine airfield in Greenock, with seaplanes being towed up the slipway and across the A78 to rest.

Made from high-strength (50N/mm²) concrete, the Legato blocks offer exceptional durability and are manufactured with a cast-in lifting pin for easy on-site installation.

Owen Batham, Sales & Marketing Director for Elite Precast, commented, “Our concrete blocks have been successfully installed on numerous sea and water projects due to the speed of construction, as walls can be built within the tidal timeframe. Our concrete also performs well in the harsh environmental conditions typical of marine and coastal applications.”

For more information on the Legato concrete blocks, please visit www.eliteprecast.co.uk/interlocking-blocks/legato-interlocking-concrete-blocks or contact our team on 01952 588885.