A year on: Collaroy residents hope to have a seawall built in time for summer

GARRY Silk, the spokesman for the residents in the 10 Collaroy houses that bore the brunt of the June storm, said three houses remained unoccupied. But they hope to have seawall protection soon.

Garry Silk sits on a makeshift protective seawall a year after the historic storm undermined houses on Collaroy beach. Picture: Adam Yip

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A YEAR on from the monster storm that ravaged Collaroy, beachfront residents are hopeful they will finally be able to lodge a plan to build a protective seawall.

Garry Silk, the spokesman for the residents in the 10 houses that bore the brunt of the destruction, said three houses remained unoccupied.

He said some people were growing frustrated at the long planning process.

Mr Silk said they were hopeful a seawall could be built before Christmas.

Collaroy beachfront a year after the storm. Picture: Adam Yip.

“Maybe if we are lucky, we will get it done by November,” he said.

“If we could, we would like to have it done before September, when the beaches start to get buys, and the council would prefer too.”

The group is expecting to spend about $2 million on a seawall between Stuart and Wetherill streets.

It would also protect council assets — roads and drainage at either end — meaning there would be ratepayer contribution to build part of the seawall.

In addition, Northern Beaches Council has committed to funding that would give ratepayers 10 per cent back in a grant. The residents and the council will also try to re-establish Collaroy’s sand dunes.

The properties on Pittwater Rd after devastating storms in June 2016. Picture: John Grainger.

“We designed the thing to almost give back the exact of what was here before — the profile of the former dunes that used to be there,” Mr Silk said.

“So hopefully, by Christmas what people will see here is exactly what they saw in the years before the storm, which is gently rolling dunes down to the beach.”

The council’s environment general manager Ben Taylor said $17.5 million had been allocated in this year’s budget to shore up coastal infrastructure.

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Of that, $1.5 million will go towards helping residents protect their private properties, and Mr Taylor said the council had been lobbying the State Government to match the contribution.

“The funding for local residents has been strongly supported by local MPs and I am sure they will be lobbying for the Government to match the funding as well,” he said.

“Our focus is to get the work started as soon as possible. We will be working hand-in-hand with the residents, supporting them through the process and also allocating all the resources we possibly can to ensure the DAs are finalised and the works started as soon as possible.”