Collaroy residents to get funds from Northern Beaches Council to help build a seawall

PROPERTY owners on the Collaroy-Narrabeen strip whose homes were ravaged by a storm in June 2016 will finally be able to claim some financial assistance.

Homes on Collaroy beachfront were severely undermined in a 2016 storm. Picture: John Grainger

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PROPERTY owners on the Collaroy-Narrabeen strip whose homes were ravaged by a storm in June 2016 will finally be able to claim some financial assistance.

At the most recent Northern beaches Council meeting, $3.46 million was put aside to help assist residents on the beachfront with coastal protection works, like seawalls.

The funds were made available through a State Government grant.

Residents represented by Garry Silk will be able to apply for funding. Picture: Adam Yip.

“The application sought funding assistance in the order of 50% of the cost of protecting public assets and a 10 per cent contribution to the costs of funding private protection works,” a report prepared for councillors said.

The council would match the 10 per cent funding of private seawalls, under the proposal, which is on public exhibition until February.

Eligible property owners - largely the stretch of Pittwater Rd where houses were severely undermined by the sea in 2016 -will be able to apply for funding.

“In exceptional circumstances and where protection works principally benefit private

property and also provide a benefit to public assets, Government may make a contribution

to the works subject to a positive benefit analysis for those assets,” the report said.

“Council’s contribution will be capped at a maximum of 10 per cent of the council’s estimate of the cost of the works contingent upon receiving at least a matching contribution from the State and/or Federal Government.

“Any contribution by Council will be at its absolute discretion and shall not be relied upon

by a private property owner in determining what action to take to protect their own property.”