Setting a " Sea Wall " Precedent !

Few people would have forgotten the vivid television news pictures from June of 2016.  A storm cell off the New South Wales coast was dumping rain on the city and high winds were creating a tidal surge that was sending huge waves crashing onto northern beaches.  In particular, this wild weekend stripped the sand from Collaroy beach and the damage became alarming as it undermined houses backing onto that beach.

Residents were forced to grab what they could and move out. Their backyards disappeared and many will remember the sight of an entire swimming pool being dislodged and left on what remained of the beach when the storm subsided.  There was a real risk that this erosion would destroy Pittwater road, one of the main conduits from the northern beaches into the city.

Collaroy beach sustained the main damage, but this storm was a warning of what was to come from rising sea levels caused by global warming.  Some home owners tried to protect their property by building sea walls and they were stopped by edicts from some councils.  There were threats that unauthorised sea walls would be dismantled and their property owners sued.  Property owners have waited in limbo for this sea wall issue to be settled.

This week the Northern Beaches Council approved a $ 3.46 million package to protect the 57 properties that back onto Collaroy-Narrabeen  beach.  The cost of constructing a sea wall will receive a ten percent contribution from the council and this will be matched by a ten percent contribution from the state government.

The balance will have to be met by the home owners.  Assuming each home has a ten metre section of beach frontage, the cost will average out at about $ 150,000 for each property.  This seems to be setting a precedent and it is now likely that a similar arrangement will be sought wherever beaches facing the sea face a danger from sea surges posing threats to seaside homes.

Considering that homes backing onto a beach usually sell for well over a million dollars that $ 150,000 contribution to their safety sounds very reasonable, but it will bring howls of outrage from critics who say it is simply subsidizing wealthy land owners.  These sea walls will be extended to cover any public land under threat and in some cases this will include play areas and public carparks.

Engineering experts say that to be effective the sea walls need to be continuous.  They warn that if an individual neighbour decides not to contribute and have the wall protect that property the gap may act as a funnel and concentrate water damage through that gap.

It is quite possible that  this solution may encounter oversea owners who are hard to contact or ignore their obligation to contribute to the sea wall.  There could also be issues with residents who are asset rich, but lack the ability to front with cash money and decide to opt out of this form of protection.  The matter of legal obligation to create mutual  property protection will probably not be settled until a court case creates precedent.

The actual design of the sea wall has not been decided, but it is unlikely to be vertical which might bar access to the beach.  It is hoped that it will consist of a mound covered in sand, but whatever the style it is likely to attract a range of criticism.   It seems that this sea wall matter is still very much a work in progress.