Parker Pen estate artworks - Newhaven - 20 6 2023 - car bay grilles

These new houses are beside the harbour and the ground floors are only to be used for car bays, refuse areas and similar facilities. The grilles were the first evidence of the artworks we saw, that link the estate to the former Parker Pen factory that occupied the site.
I wonder if the gabion-style panels at ground level are there to allow water to escape freely in the event of flooding.