Save Our Sand (SOS) anti-seawall campaigners have organised drop-in centres where volunteers are helping people lodge objections to the development application (DA) recently lodged by the Wamberal Protection Association.
The drop-in centres are at Wamberal Surf Club and the Marine Discovery Centre and will run each weekend until August 23, the deadline for DA objections.
A third DA objection drop-in centre will open this weekend at Terrigal Driftwood Café.
SOS volunteer Mark Lamont estimated 400 residents had visited the centres over the past two weekends, accessing hard-copy and online DA documentation and reports.
“Objection to the seawall DA is now the talk of the town,” Lamont said.
“The SOS team has spoken with thousands of Coast residents over the past two weeks at the drop-in centres, doorknocking and leaflet-dropping.
“Opposition to the seawall is so overwhelming that Council’s ePlanning portal continually crashes, thwarting residents’ attempts to lodge their DA objections online.”
Lamont said SOS was advising residents to email their objections to dasubmission@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au referencing DA/947/2024 or write responses and leave them at the drop-in centres to be hand-delivered to Council.
“SOS is impressed by how well-informed and considered the community DA objections are,” Lamont said.
“Reading through hundreds of them at the drop-in centres, it is clear many locals have followed the issue closely.
“They have read and heard the expert advice that a seawall would destroy Wamberal Beach.
“Community objection to the seawall has gone next level.
“A lot of locals who drop in are asking why Council is a seawall DA co-applicant.
“They ask why Council is pushing for the mega seawall when the overwhelming majority of locals and experts are dead against it.”
Lamont said SOS had picked through the DA and it was “worse than we expected”.
The group had engaged an independent coastal engineering expert, Doug Lord, to go through the DA’s technical details and expected his interim report this week, he said
“While some in the community have been following this issue closely for years, the penny is only now dropping for others,” Lamont said.
“SOS social media has blown up with record Facebook views of interviews with University of Sydney coastal geomorphologist, Professor Andrew Short, and Order of Australia coastal engineer, Angus Gordon.
“Beachfront residents have known the risks of living on Wamberal Beach foredune for over 50 years, and each landowner accepted those risks when they bought or built there.
“Sand nourishment with dune revegetation is a permanent solution as proved along the Wamberal Beach sections at the surf club and most of Calais Rd.
“The only thing permanent about the proposed seawall is that it will destroy the public beach, forever.
“That’s the expert advice.
“Locals are indeed looking at the DA, as are independent experts and they are objecting on factual grounds, rejecting the Wamberal Protection Association’s private proposal that is more about a small group of private beachfront owners trying to shift their longstanding beachfront risk onto the community.
“SOS continues to seek answers from Afministrator Rik Hart before he leaves Council next month.”
Denice Barnes
Go SOS , thank goodness there is a community group that has been able to keep the public informed and alarmed at what is being proposed for Wamberal beach. This will be an environmental disaster of greater proportions than Collaroy beach that has shown us all a lesson to be learned in what not to do. Please get along and do your DA/947/2024 objections or email them to Central Coast Council. And remember, there are two more DA’s coming for the sections “A” & “C” , hardly fair that our council thinks it’s okay to make the community go through 3 lots of objection submissions for the same development.
Respect to you Mark for your hard work and courage on this issue in the face of selfish and short sighted vested interests, bureaucratic malaise and willfull ignorance. You are a real inspiration.
Why is the council supporting a few residents who built on the fordune knowing the implications.Then council warned them and said no so they go over councils head to the land and inviroment court knowing the. There for it’s out council Hands so a council know using our rates to support this.NOt HAPPY JANE 🤬
The fact that they were ever given permission to build on a coastal sand dune is a disgrace… But two wrongs don’t make a right.Under no circumstances should we compound the problem by interfering with the beachfront
Although I don’t know the full details of this DA, it shocks me that the council is allowing this to be done for as you say for a small number of residents who bought knowing the risks of beach front positions.
Plus at a time as we all know the council is still not recovered from the $m500+ debt we are all having to pay back…
This again shows signs of bad mgt by the council.. just hope they reconsider and don’t go ahead
I owned a beach front house at North Avoca, (60 North Avoca Parade) and at the time of purchase we were told about beach front problems. We were told by council of erosion etc. People who have bought beachfront houses in the past 40 years have known and accepted the risks. Beach front houses are built on sand and are unstable. I object to council and taxpayer money being spent on ugly sea walls. Our beautiful beaches must be left in a natural state
and not disfigured for the benefit of those who take the risk of living there.