The Dovercourt Leading Lights and Causeway are Tendring District Council owned assets listed on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register as Scheduled Ancient Monuments (entry number 1017200), first listed in October 1975 with a further update in November 2022 listing their conditions as ‘declining and generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems’.
To enable a project of this complexity and scale to be managed effectively from a time, cost, resourcing and care of restoration perspective, it has been split into two key phases: ‘Phase 1 – Condition and Structural Survey’ to provide a full and thorough analysis including all costs, and ‘Phase 2 – Full Restoration Works’.
Phase 1 - Condition and Structural Survey
Initial phase 1 survey has been completed, with a final report now received. Upon full assessment, it became apparent that due to shifting and rising shorelines over time, the legs of the structures could be up to 3 metres buried in the sand. Therefore, surveyors were unable to assess this aspect of the structures. Additional exploratory works and assessments are required to further de-risk this project and ascertain the condition of the legs that are unsighted, creating a ‘Phase 1b - Condition and Structural Survey of the unsighted legs’.
Potential Funding Options – Phase 1b
In April 2024, Historic England wrote to inform us that our funding application for ‘Phase 1b - Structural and Condition survey’ had been successfully awarded £47,440 from their Heritage at Risk Repairs Grant Fund, with the additional £5,272 identified from underspend from Dovercourt Leading Lighthouse and Causeway ‘Phase 1a_Structural and Condition Survey’. Officers request approval to accept the grant awarded by Historic England. Furthermore Officers request an exemption to procurement for the award of contract.
The Dovercourt Leading Lighthouse Restoration is listed within the Heritage Strategy and fundraising for the restoration is listed as a key aim in Tendring District Council’s Corporate Plan aligning to the theme of promoting our heritage offer.

To accept funding awarded by Historic England to the amount of £47,440 to continue the structural and condition work on the Dovercourt Leading Lighthouse and Causeway (identified as ‘Phase 1b_Structural and Condition Survey of Unsighted Legs’), and to proceed with the exemption to procurement.

Option 1 - To accept the funding valued at £47,440 awarded by Historic England and to approve the exemption to procurement:
In April 2024, Historic England wrote to inform us that our funding application for ‘Phase 1b - Structural and Condition survey’ had been successfully awarded £47,440 from their Heritage at Risk Repairs Grant Fund, with the additional £5,272 identified from underspend from Dovercourt Leading Lighthouse and Causeway ‘Phase 1a_Structural and Condition Survey’. This had been identified following discussions with Accountancy, with an underspend showing due to costs associated with ‘Phase 1a –Condition and Structural Survey’ being lower than estimated. Officers request approval to accept the grant awarded by Historic England.
Furthermore Officers request an exemption to procurement for the award of contract due to the following reasons:
- Work undertaken on the Dovercourt Leading Lighthouse and Causeway requires contractors to be on the Conservation Accreditation Register for Engineers (CARE) as requested by Historic England.
- Phase 1a – Condition and Structural Survey involved a full and thorough procurement exercise which resulted in one applicant, an exemption to procurement was granted on this occasion.
- For continuity reasons with ‘Phase 1b’ being the second part of these investigations.
Option 2 - To not accept Historic England funding.
Option 3 - To not proceed with Phase 1b and proceed straight to Phase 2 – restoration. This decision could result in the project management team being unaware of full costs and would add risk to the progress of the project.
Option 4 - Do nothing:
- Potential loss of Tendring District Council owned asset
- Financial, increased costs for future repairs
- Reputational, deterioration of key assets
- Environmental, deterioration of key assets