You may have seen that the first group of homeowners on the beachfront at Collaroy are mid-way through constructing the seawall that will protect their properties should a devastating east coast low happen again.
Given Council has already completed protection works on public land, and there’s been a lot of talk about the owners’ seawall, understanding all the facts is important.
We have summarised some key facts about the first of the Collaroy owners’ seawalls.
1. It will improve beach access
You may not realise that there have been large volumes of rock protecting properties along Collaroy-Narrabeen beach for many decades. There are currently over 400 square metres of large rocks scattered across this part of the beach alone. Even at low tide when the beach is eroded, and especially during heavy swells, this can make it difficult to walk the full length of the beach. The rocks will be removed from the beach by Christmas 2021, including those at the end of Wetherill Street. Removing this hazard, which has been impacting the beach for more than 40 years, widens the beach and allows the community safer access.
2. It will support more natural beach processes
The works were subject to a rigorous review by independent expert coastal engineers and scientists. Protection works have been on this part of the beach for more than 40 years. The new works are set further towards the back of the beach than the old rocks. Removing the rocks and rubble reduces localised erosion and will allow for a wider beach in this area, in turn promoting more natural beach regeneration.
3. It's only just taller than the rock wall it replaces
The owners are mid-construction so it’s hard to envisage what the end result will look like. The height of the wall under construction is similar to the level of the backyards of the properties it is protecting. During construction, the whole wall is exposed on both sides. Once this wall is complete, at least three quarters will be covered by sand, landscaped and integrated with the surrounding landscape, like the artist’s impression above.
4. The current works are entirely on private land
The owners selected this design because its narrow footprint, will prevent the works coming forward onto the public beach as has been the case historically. This becomes more beneficial to the beach as we move further north with even more rock removed. Alternative designs like a sloping rock wall (as installed in front of the Council car park further south) would have required more land, resulted in an unnatural alignment and taken space away from the public beach.
5. The residents are funding 80% of the works
As private properties are the substantial beneficiaries of the protection, it is reasonable that they bear most of the expense for protecting their land. Council and the NSW Government are contributing 10% each to the cost of the works.
6. It’s scheduled for completion before Christmas
By Christmas 2021, this work and the completed Collaroy car park works will account for around 450m of the 1.3km of the works needed to protect the private and public beachfront properties.
7. It would be problematic and costly for Council to build these works for the resident
If Council was to build the private works, there is no simple mechanism to recover this expense from those who benefit. That means all ratepayers would foot the whole $25 million bill. Council has been lobbying for a change to legislation so that protection works in NSW can be built quickly and in accordance with community expectations but can also be assured that the costs can be recouped.
8. Council will continue to manage the beach into the future
Council will continue to move sand from the entrance to Narrabeen Lagoon to Collaroy as required. We are also working with the NSW Government and Sydney Coastal Councils Group on proposals to bring additional sand onto our beaches in response to climate change from offshore marine sand deposits or from clean terrestrial sand. These types of programs are new and require the highest levels of environmental scrutiny before they could be progressed.