Living Behind a Sea Wall !

 In 2016 a weather event off the Australian east coast resulted in huge waves washing onto the New South Wales coast.  The Manly ferry run was cancelled because of the seas surging through the Gap and it quickly became apparent that this wild surf was going to do immense damage to our beaches.

The degree of damage could be termed " catastrophic " when applied to Collaroy on our northern beaches. The huge waves eroded the sand from this beach and pushed inland. They intruded into the gardens between homes and the beach and media photos showed a complete home swimming pool dislodged into the surf, and then they began undermining the foundations of homes backing onto the beach.

Homeowners were forced to evacuate and for a time it seemed that many homes would not only be destroyed but the seas would breach Pittwater road, the main arterial connection between the northern suburbs and the city and underneath which gas, sewage and communications were located.

Some home owners took emergency action by having contractors drop rock and concrete waste into the void to create a sea wall, but were ordered by the council to remove it.  This was done without an appropriate development approval and fortunately the seas abated before any homes were lost.

For five long year residents have demanded action to preserve their properties and that has included several new storm events that increased the danger, and now work has started on a sea wall that stretches from Collaroy to North Narrabeen and will protect  forty-nine private properties, together with public land areas, a surf club and a car park.  The cost is estimated at $ 24.85 million and fifty-six percent will be contributed by the land owners involved.

That works out at a cost of $ 282,000 for each resident and at this stage it is not entirely certain that all the residents will be able to raise that sort of money.  Another sticking point is that the design and type of sea wall may not be what the residents originally wanted.  It was taken out of their hands and designed by a consortium of council and the government, both of which are contributing ten percent of the cost.

Before this disastrous invasion of the sea, homes backing onto the beach had easy private access.  There was just a low sand dune between the beach and their gardens but this new sea wall will be very substantial and direct access may be blocked.   It will certainly have some impact on home values.

It also sets a precedent. Science warns us that global warming will deliver rising sea levels and more extreme storms and similar damage to that Collaroy disaster is likely along many beach fronts in the future.  Much of our housing facing the sea is built on a sand base and this sort of problem may become widespread in the future.  It may be necessary to back all our beaches with a similar sea wall.

Homes near beaches bring premium prices, but we would be well advised to take the liabilities into account.   In the event of invasion from the sea, the cost of a sea wall will be shared by property owners, and finding $282,000 would distress many people financially.