THE 160-year-old wall which supports Watchet’s East Quay is not up to modern standards and should be replaced by a completely new structure, a previously unpublished report has disclosed.

Tests on the wall and adjoining quay have been ongoing for nearly a year, only metres away from where the £7 million tourist and cultural development masterminded by the Onion Collective will be built.

After getting the go-ahead this week to start work on the scheme, an Onions Collective spokesman said: “Separately to this development, Somerset West and Taunton Council is continuing to explore what works might be needed to the harbour wall along the edge of the East Quay.

“Decisions have not yet been made as to the timing and extent of the works needed in this area of the quayside.”

Onions Collective director Jessica Prendergrast added: “We understand why people are unsure about the wall situation and worried that it will affect our East Quay development and we’re grateful for the concern.

“But we are working closely with the council to make sure that works needed can be timetabled in a way that doesn’t threaten our funding. We’re excited to get started.”

The report on the state of the wall, supplied to the district council earlier in the year had not been made public until a successful freedom of information application.

Produced by the Tiverton-based South West Geotechnical company, the report was supplied to companies tendering for construction or repair work on the wall earlier in the year, but none of the bids was successful.

It said analysis indicated that the stability of the wall in its current state was “marginal” and added: “It is evident from investigations into the wall that that it is narrow and has not been designed to modern standards.

“This is not uncommon in historic quay walls in the South West.

“It is considered that replacing the existing structure with a new appropriately designed wall/crane supporting structure is necessary.”

During the investigation, a diver from a specialist firm, Marine and Civil Solutions, removed 1.55 metres of silt to uncover the bottom of the wall.

Read the report in today’s Free Press.