Revealed: Five Wamberal sea wall options are on public exhibition

The long-awaited concept designs for a sea wall to stop erosion at Wamberal Beach have been revealed, along with the eye-watering cost it took to develop them.

Five options for a sea wall at Wamberal to prevent further erosion have been made available ranging from revetment to vertical and promenade style structures.

Residents can now view the first stages of technical studies, which guided the development of the five options into finding a long-term solution to manage coastal erosion at Wamberal Beach.

The technical studies outline five seawall concept designs with artist’s impressions, cross-section drawings and footprint mapping developed for each option to assist with visualising the potential solutions.

Option 1 is for a rock buffer using basalt, which is similar to the emergency rocks placed after last year’s storm. Picture: supplied

Central Coast Council Environment and Planning acting director Luke Sulkowski said the next phase of community consultation was an opportunity to provide initial feedback on the available options.

“It is important to note that Council’s role through the CZMP (Coastal Zone Management Plan) is to outline a preferred protection solution but the delivery of any solution is a separate and currently unfunded process,” Mr Sulkowski said.

Option 2 is for a sandstone revetment wall similar to option 1. Picture: supplied

“The stage 5 and 6 studies, which are still under review, will include an updated cost benefit analysis and will be available to the community around the end of August.

“Final seawall alignment, access points and terminal ends would need to be determined during the detailed design phase of the project.”

Council Administrator Rik Hart said delivery of a long-term erosion solution at Wamberal Beach was currently not funded and proceeding with any solution would require a funding commitment from the NSW or Federal Government.

Option 3 is a vertical wall with rocks at the bottom. Picture: supplied

“There are many technical, financial, social and environmental complexities that need to be worked through to develop a long-term solution to erosion at Wamberal Beach,” Mr Hart said.

“Technical studies and concept design renders are an important step forward in the exploration of a long-term solution but it needs to be clearly understood that delivery of any solution at Wamberal Beach is not yet funded.”

Option 4 is a vertical wall without rocks at the bottom. Picture: supplied

“We also need to consider that on top of the initial cost to develop a new asset of this scale there are significant ongoing maintenance and other costs,” he said.

“For the best coastal erosion management solutions to be developed and delivered it is vital that all levels of government, residents and the broader community work together.”

The technical studies alone have cost $498,996 and were 50/50 funded by council and the NSW Government through the NSW Coastal and Estuaries Grants Program, inclusive of an additional $36,380 from the state government for the renders and “additional engagement”.

Option 5 is a tiered wall with a promenade at the bottom. Picture: supplied

The designs come almost a year to the day after the state government formed the Wamberal Seawall Advisory Task force July 2020.

Terrigal State Liberal MP and task force member Adam Crouch said the task force had

provided advice to council on a range of Crown Lands, resource supply, legal and engineering issues.

“We must protect the beach itself as well as the hundreds of millions of dollars of public and private assets behind it,” he said.

“I want to ensure that the best possible long-term solution is developed as a product of community input, and that is why the NSW Government has provided an additional $36,380 to cover the cost of this community consultation.”

Community members have until September 10 to provide feedback on the technical studies and concept design by visiting: yourvoiceourcoast.com.