Moves to repair sandbag wall at Portsea Beach hailed as ‘win’ by residents
Moves to repair a badly damaged sandbag wall at Portsea Beach have been given the green light, but residents are being warned not to expect the fix any time soon.
South East
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Moves to start repairing the damaged sandbag wall at Portsea Beach have been hailed as a win by residents.
Nepean Ratepayers’ Association president Colin Watson, who led a campaign to get the wall repaired, said it was the best outcome.
“The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) will work with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to find a solution to ultimately restore the beach,” he said.
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DELWP senior official Kelly Crosthwaite said the outer layer of the sandbag wall was in poor condition.
“Because of the way the sandbag seawall is constructed, the repairs required are extensive and involve replacing most of the existing wall,” she said.
“The works could take up to three months to complete and cannot be conducted safely and effectively over winter.”
She said DELWP was working with the council to investigate potential long-term options to restore Portsea Beach.
The sandbag wall was built to protect properties including the iconic Portsea Hotel from erosion following the controversial 2008-09 dredging program.
The Portsea front beach all but disappeared after the dredging.
The Leader previously reported that the State Government had flagged a $3 million rock seawall as the “only viable solution” after the sandbag wall began to collapse.
But this was slammed by residents including Mr Watson as a “cheap and nasty” move that would do nothing to fix the ruined beach.