Rock wall could save Portsea front beach
A ROCK wall may be placed in front of the sandbag wall at the ruined Portsea front beach.
Inner South
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A ROCK wall may be placed in front of the sandbag wall at the ruined Portsea front beach.
Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Tim Rodgers said officials from the Department of Environment and Primary Industries had told residents they feared part of the sandbag wall might collapse.
Cr Rodgers said DEPI was looking at the possibility of a rock wall to protect the sandbag wall.
"This is a disaster," he said.
A DEPI spokeswoman refused to be drawn on the future of the sandbag wall.
"DEPI is examining the issues being debated out of the recent reports," she said.
"Offshore monitoring in the coming year will help further refine options at Portsea and we are continuing to engage with community representatives on this issue."
The sandbag wall was erected to protect properties such as the Portsea Hotel from erosion in the wake of the Port of Melbourne Corporation's 2008-09 dredging program for the Port Phillip Bay shipping channel.
Portsea Hotel owner Chris Morris described the sandbag wall as an "eyesore" that should be removed.
"They have to work out what's going to fix it up," Mr Morris said.
A permanent fix was needed rather than another temporary solution, he said.
An article in last week's Leader revealed two reports commissioned by the State Government had attributed the erosion at Portsea to the dredging.
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