Here Willi. Criticism of the debris left on the beach, the erosion as the sea ran up against the wall and drew away all the sand during January 2022 swells and the manner in which these works have been carried out prompted council staff to investigate a number of times during the heavy swells, and has been under regular inspection since then. Isn't an extension to the Point Cartwright breakwall on the cards aa well? I think they saw an opportunity to get landowners to pay for something that they would very likely have to do at some point anyway. We spoke to expert coastal engineer, Peter Horton, about the current situation and the coastal protection works he designed to protect the properties from large and powerful surf. A barrier reef in place would no doubt have knock-on effects. Yulex geta second chance at a first impression, and this time they makeit count. Yea I agree with this. Damaged houses and a collapsed swimming pool at Collaroy beach after waves of up to 8 metres hit the coast on June 6, 2016. How about dredging narrabeen lagoon?? This forms a foredune and a backdude. If you look at the photo of the wall there appears to be a set of stairs built into the concrete for each property. And please take a look at all the other ridicules things Coastal engineers are doing around this country so you can see the pattern of incompetence I am referring to. All the reaserch I did seemed to show that the headland affect and beaches just north of those headlands, i.e. There are 11 parcels of public land (including the Collaroy carpark, South Narrabeen Surf Club, reserves and road ends) interspersed between 49 private parcels of land that require protection. Contrast man-made against a natural barrier like mangroves (apologies for the sound, not my video), Trees work well for preventing erosion ONLY when the wave power is very minimal. Looking at that DA via Stu's link, it must have taken a considerable, possibly illegal, effort to keep that out of the hands of those community members with a long record of interest in the matter. In their natural state, sand dunes are dynamic and in a constant state of flux. Picture: Nearmap A subsequent image of Collaroy Beach from June 8, 2016. A quick Google informs me that they are part of the State government, either Planning or Public Works, which was news to me because its mainly staffed by UNSW academics and is associated with the uni as a research centre. Seawalls have the inevitable effect of reflecting and concentrating wave energy and accelerating erosion. And I previously worked in a firm that did work in this area (it's not my specific expertise but I get the broad concepts). Theyre only a couple of hundred years away from I will check with him and report back. I asked a mate who works at MHL this exact question. Nature fights back. Stop wasting money and do something that will achieve the intended goals. Bullshit. There's no sense at all in building something like this from an engineering perspective. the Senior Environmental Officer" Northern Beaches NSW govt!! The process is cyclical, however short-sighted development upon the foredune, built during times of a wide beach profile, impedes the system. https://www.swellnet.com/comment/772908#comment-772908. Existing market value must take into account that houses have erosion problems. I put up links to both DAs the other day. But there will also be a range of other social and environmental grants on offer that the LGA will use to leverage off for on-going maintenance. Pretty incredible and frightening stuff. What they could all agree upon is that council has lost the trust of all whove opposed the seawall over the decades. Will it make Carties better or will kooks just ride into the wall even more. Yep. It breaks my heart. Old bathing boxes which were on long piers sitting out in the bay are now sitting in the middle of sand dunes. Not sure why coastal ginger beers (engineeers) assigned by local councils just keep getting it wrong, but it would be fascinating to go through the meetings minutes of how these get passed, and the deceptive and misguided arguments that must be being put forward. Cheers for the knowledge Craig. Now digging up the facts of this case would prove fascinatingthe applicant, the judges, the arguments, the ruling etc one if there is precedent for seeking compensation for judicial rulings made in error. The seawall is protected from the direct onslaught of waves by rows of granite boulders which are reinforced every year to stop erosion. Might chat about it at some point Craig Brokensha, and anyone with deeper connections or insights, feel free to pass me their contacts and we can compare notes and research and discussion points. There is a common denominator here, "Coastal" engineers with a lack of knowledge and understanding of coastal processes. The software built for Kelly's wave pool was also a big leap forward to modeling actual breaking waves and I really hope they share that knowledge with the rest of the scientific community to help forward our understanding. Im not trying to be a dick about it. The root cause is building on the foredune. I definitely disagree with a buy back. I am thinking that sad as it may be, we will never be able to turn back the clock and have a natural passive coastline of Sandhills and trees. "Update from Council on possible site visit to Northern Beaches: Casey Johnston advised a site visit to Narrabeen-Collaroy is being canvased for early December 2021 to allow review of their seawall in construction. These walls stick straight up into the air like a fence made of steel or concrete. Therefore, the group of Narrabeen and Collaroy residents are not successful in addressing the issue of coastal erosion. It is worth remembering that this council, as Warringah, council, was twice dismissed for corruption and incompetence. We have the tools and imagination to manage the climatic challenge that beginning to show in my lifetime. If so, I presume it may slow around the reef, but then continue north on a more normal migration speed. they will use loop holes to ensure eligibility. Perhaps the omission was because in 2002, protestors, led by Brendan Donohoe and Surfrider Foundation founder Tom Kirsop, formed a line in the sand stretching from Collaroy to Narrabeen opposing the construction of any seawalls. Construction costs are 80% homeowner funded. There's been a lot of work done to gain a better understanding of the value of the beach re both market and non-market economic benefits. No-one wants to see visible structures built along the beachfront. Normally large swells from the SW have very little affect on the beaches around here because the great ocean rd is comprised of Rocky headland after headland. At what point do we put an end to this insanity. The sea wall forms a permanent, stationary barrier between the sea and the land. If you don't know know shit about the processes of the ocean and coastal erosion then please put your hand up and say so. Would be interesting to see the state of that beach on the north side of breakwall now, This was the same dune system a few years before all these easterlies. What insanity! Narrabeen and Collaroy residents hold signs and protest their opposition towards the sea wall extension plans in November 2012 In November 2002, Harmer and Donohue led a protest against a $12 million sea wall, proposed by Warringah Council, with 3000 people linking arms along a 1.1km stretch of beach. collaroy vs long reef, have always had signifcant erosion issues. A band of knowledgable people have gotten together and are in discussions about it and coming up with arguments and alternatives against it. July 28, 2021 - 7:04AM. It's eroded locally at present, lots of rocks revealed on low tide but it's also end of winter. More than double in wealth the last 7 years. In one of the pics you see plant equipnent tearing up the beach in preparation for constructing a wall. And in the approval documents was there a long-run cost benefit analysis evaluating the 2 treatment options of wall versus buy back and restoration. Wherever there's a seawall the sand/beach washes away and makes it virtually impossible to enter or exit the water, not to mention the impact on the birdlife, fish and crustaceans that depend on the seasonal sand flow that comes with a healthy beach. Picture: Nearmap A subsequent image of Collaroy Beach from June 8, 2016. Planning Minister Rob Stokes told the Telegraph there was a recent plan to build a sea wall in Collaroy at the scene of the devastation but the owners would not agree on making a contribution, so it never happened. Scientists need to be able to communicate the results of simulations/tests in a way everyone gets, not just a bunch of numbers. And the properties either side?? Designed to democratise surfing, Tom Morey's invention became a specialised craft for riding treacherouswaves. We can mess things up in a colossal way, and then keep doing it repeatedly. Hi Mark. Thanks so much zen! It's only a temporary feature. In 1974I witnessed what cyclonic ocean power can do to ignorantly planned beach development 50 years on and a lot of sea miles under my belt. In Japan, their solution is to just go bigger and higher . 3) How much has Council spent on legal fees defending Land & Environment Court appeals related to seawalls since the 2016 storm? Lol. Also, ALL the Numerical modeling was done in comparison to the current altered beach-state and NOT to a natural beach-state so there is bias in modeling things that way even though the beach state is not natural any more. Get access to long-range forecasts, hourly graphs and ad-free webcams. This has cut into the base of the dunes below the surf club. So would you like to inform me as to WHO designed this monstrosity if it wasn't an Engineer? Thanks Lilas, Absolutely spot on, Craig. 314k members in the sydney community. that concrete is a lovely blank canvas for some choice words. Inevitable as the ocean winning, is a painted "cock and balls" on that wall. Surfers, sun bathers and swimmers. Some relevant links from when I had a dig around before. Im presuming that sand delivery's from the lagoon will be an ongoing thing. Harmer and husband have been protesting for 14 years to stop surf barrier She led 2002 lobby against $12 million wall proposed by Warringah council A monster Sydney storm wiped out properties. They needed see this, but still probably wouldnt t have believed it. GCCC's approach protects both private property and public beach amenity without any visible structures on the beach. Initial reports claim Marcio Friere wasn't wearing an inflatable vest when he was held down in large waves. Offshore reefs would be expensive , but we are already spending 100's of millions on bad solutions that actually cause more problems than they solve so money cannot be used as an excuse. Sorry to go hard on your story like that but I feel we need to keep the science at the forefront of all coastal engineering discussions. I'm not entirely sure, but one of the reasons why an offshore reef structure hasn't been considered for Narrabeen may be because it's part of the Northern Sydney Protection Zone, hosting submarine cables that connect Australia to various parts of the Pacific (including Japan). Adjacent a second wall constructed just to the north, the half finished revetment was torn to rubble with dangerous rebar, boulders and cement being washed into the surf zone. Done well they could create added atmosphere to the beach life we love to live here for. It ran northwards around the back of the lagoon and on toward what is now Collaroy Beach. Last Wave inalways team up with surf buddies to safely exit yer local Seachange Monstrosity. The group aims to raise awareness of the impact that the building sector can have while pointing out that more drastic measures need to be taken, as most countries do not include full building. In that regard it seems to have achieved its design objectives very nicely, and the sacrificing of the public beach (and public access/amenity) in front of it is just 'collateral damage'. It's going to be carnage there this morning & yesterday afternoon even, solid 6-8ft sets on a big high, anyone heading down for a look? Collaroy sea wall. They aint getting crushed. Guess where that temporary rock wall has ended up! The owners of those properties must have the most amazing collection of dirt on the political class. Drone footage over Collaroyafter the June 2016 'Black Nor'easter swell' (Photo: UNSW Water Research Laboratory). The beach has remained under threat since that time, with additional erosion occurring during subsequent storms. The fact that an engineer/s designed this crazy-ass wall is the concern I raised. Interesting to see if the slowed (design of) sand migration has had any knock-on effect for the likes of Tallebudgera- Burleigh and beyond. Proven time and time and time again that sea walls do not work- period. There is no better option. Take a chill-pill mate, or possibly the whole packet as it appears you need them. Rise seems nearly double than the run. Alas this would have meant some loss / damage to private property. At what point are they a write-off? As you know we have the Great Ocean Road down here , which was a huge Tourist attraction ( before Covid.) So whats your thoughts about using tax payers $'s to buy back endangered properties from natural erosion and as I asked Zen.are there any solutions other than just moving people property back from the Coast? OMG!!! I think the re-sale value of their properties trumped their ability to access the from their back garden. An awkward situation, but only for one of the parties, as the Woz suspends the current Longboard World Champ. They have just set a precedent for the whole east coast of poor me multi millionaire landowners to set up squeaky wheel collectives. If Surfrider and others haven't done it already, my view is that Swellnet, as a legitimate media organisation with a substantial subscriber and stakeholder base, could very reasonably write to both the NSW Coastal Council and Sydney Coastal Councils Group seeking advice about the adaptation options and why buy-back was not considered suitable for the site. "Protective works are a far preferable measure to a vertical seawall," he said. They are the real villains, as regardless of what anyone says or does, these idiots can allow or disallow engineering developments so the buck stops there! we all end up paying for it directly if we haven't already e.g. I no longer live in the area but just can't believe it has progressed so far without anyone noticing. They were concerned the sand directly in front of the seawall would be washed away, eroding their beach, and, on Tuesday, that's exactly what happened. You'd think that would then open it up for more legal action (aka why did ABC get first dibs and XYZ missed out?). Yep. The activism of Tom Kirsop is legendary and in December 2019 Northern Beaches Council honoured him with a park at Narrabeen called Surfrider Gardens. The 18-year-old scored a near-perfect 9.50 in the Final, held at Seaside Reef in Encinitas, California. The primary mechanism for coastal land acquisition in NSW has been the Coastal Lands Protection Scheme, but it wasn't designed for climate/erosion buy-backs. Lance any surf info about Middleton Reef ? Vertical Seawalls Vertical seawalls are exactly what you think. "We haven't had a flood here for 20 years you say. It's like companies using buybacks in a crisis. "There's no sense at all in building something like this from an engineering perspective. "The community is not happy." Northern Beaches Council said there had been comprehensive community consultation about the council's coastal zone management plan for Collaroy Beach. They've had a very very blessed life compared to anyone else in this country and that in return they would do such harm to a public place to save their private property is a bit sad. They are frequently used in locations where further shore erosion will result in excessive damage, e.g. So fkd how big some of those sea walls are and just ruin the towns completely and those that rely on the area, Theyve done the same thing to much of Taiwans coast, see eg: http://www.irjes.com/Papers/vol6-issue10/F61012431.pdf. Wonder if he has been down there in the last 2 days to check on status of wall? Seawalls form a defining line between sea and land. I do know the metro area was excluded from the NSW Coastal Policy for a long time because it was seen as too difficult, and that the CLPS was focussed on environmental values. In this case there is evidence that the council and land owners subverted the approval process. Went down for a look and its a fucken disgrace. And it was created many years ago when coastal property was much lower in value and the bang for buck was much higher. 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. Was the carpark damaged by the 2016 storms and if so-to what extent? This is a big money problem way beyond the scope of local councils. These seawalls are easy to design, and easy to construct. There is no evidence whatsoever of accelerated erosion seaward of these newly constructed works. The second DA is now here. Gold Coast City Council had a similar problem to Collaroy at Palm Beach Qld. It is possible that this is part of the Silverback's Seachange pork barrel rollout. It would be possible to introduce a major sand nourishment program to move the shoreline seaward, says Gordon. I'd imagine brendan and surfrider will have that covered. Statements such as the two below can only be classified as opinion unless you link to references. I was watching the houses on the cliffs at Bilgola the other day. High rise apartment buildings demolished when they realised it was the most cost effective and environmentally sound long term solution. Its no wonder the climate brigade aren't on board telling us all there garbage but erosion been around a tad longer than the 80s. Might discuss that with @surfriderfoundation and Surfrider Foundation Sunshine Coast, and those people and localised groups finding themselves in positions of having to fight this idiocy. What they fail to mention is the massive corruption that's involved in awarding these contracts and the fact that the construction companies themselves for the most part, are predominantly Yakuza. the hardest decisions should be the easiest. The road is the public asset to be protected yes linked to their actions - but if it was really only just about PW road then surely a more cost effective way would have been to introduce less expensive and arguably more effective measures as I understand earlier reports have indicated including reveg and rock? Current property values have ensured that this mistake will never be righted. Some investigative journalism required to obtain all the council documents around its approval process. Establishment and set out of site survey control points. Those first couple of staircases looked fucked. Te Puna Aonui is the joint venture of government agencies that will deliver Te Aorerekura. 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