Work to start on West Beach rock wall despite Charles Sturt Council not having money required
WORK to fix the storm-damaged West Beach rock wall will begin – despite Charles Sturt Council not having enough money to finish the almost-$6 million project.
- Cost of fixing West Beach rock wall has now been put at $5m
- Record amount of sand to fill West Beach to protect it from storms
- Expert says key Adelaide beaches could disappear within a decade because of rising sea levels and erosion
WORK to fix the storm-damaged West Beach rock wall will begin – despite Charles Sturt Council not having enough money to finish the almost-$6 million project.
Councillors voted on Monday night to spend $2.67 million — including $1.1 million from the State Government — to start repairing the most damaged section of the wall this financial year.
One councillor told the meeting that works needed to get underway to avoid “a bit of an embarrassment for the City of Charles Sturt”.
Works will start on a section between West Beach Rd and Adelaide Shores Caravan Park.
The rest of the wall – which was devastated by storms last September – will be finished in sections over the next two years as money becomes available.
Councillors voted to include spending $1.23 million in their 2018/19 budget talks to repair the northern part of the wall.
The council will look for extra money from other sources to reduce that spend and make up its shortfall on the $5.7 million cost.
Henley Ward councillor Jassmine Wood said residents had been “patiently awaiting” for a “long, long, long time now”.
“The coast path through this section has been currently closed to the public and has been for quite sometime,” Cr Wood said.
“Beach access down to the beach has been restricted to residents and visitors for quite some time and it really is a very unattractive eyesore on our beautiful suburb of West Beach.
“Not repairing this section of the wall while we have the funds available would be a bit of an embarrassment for the City of Charles Sturt.
“We have a coast path going from one end of SA to the other and there is this little section walled-off with bunting and a crumbling footpath in West Beach.”
About $5.7 million is needed to fix the sea wall, which begins just north of the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club and stretches south to Adelaide Shores.
About 400m of path above the rock wall will need to be rebuilt, along with fencing, stairs and stormwater drains.
The Ports and Harbours Authority built the rock wall in 1974 and storms in 2015 and 2016 caused it significant damage and eroded parts of the coast path.
It is understood Adelaide Shores will be asked to contribute $1.1 million – up from the $150,000 previously requested by the council – to repair the southern section of the wall.
The council’s asset management services general manager Jan Cornish said in her report to the council that the rock wall played “an important role in protecting infrastructure”.
Some of those assets included the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club and the Environment Department’s sand-pumping pipeline.
“Storms over the past two years in particular have damaged the path and resulted in having to divert users to a temporary path, which is not ideal given the popularity of the path and the critical link between Glenelg and West Beach and the beaches further north,” Ms Cornish said.
“Local residents have also had to tolerate the visual blight associated with temporary fencing and bunting, closed shower and beach access ways.
“The redesign of the West Beach rock sea wall will take into account sea-level rise and be designed to withstand predicted rises over the next 50 years.”
The council had originally thought the fix would cost $2.5 million, but coastal engineers KBR have costed the plans at more than $5 million.