The first of three development applications covering Wamberal beach has been formally lodged with Central Coast Council by the Wamberal Protection Association (WPA).
The first DA known as Section B, covering the beach between 27 Ocean View Rd and Surfers Rd, is now on public exhibition.
Section A, covering the stretch from Pacific St to 27 Ocean View Dr, and Section C, covering the stretch from Surfers Rd to Calais Rd, are expected to be lodged in the very near future.
A statement issued by WPA said it was confident it had complied with all requirements and was keen to get on to construction planning as soon as possible.
The statement said the proposal would see a seawall constructed as landward as possible away from the beach, outside of the active wave zone, and much further back than any existing ad hoc protection works.
The seawall would be located wholly on private property wherever possible, only crossing public land while also protecting government-owned blocks and beach access.
All public beach access will be maintained and improved.
The seawall fronting private properties will be paid for, owned, constructed and maintained by private owners.
The seawall will be landscaped, and in many cases buried, by sand and the vegetation reinstated.
Visible areas will be clad in sandstone panels with stepped sandstone blocks at the crest.
A native planting scheme will be incorporated and designed to have the least sand nourishment requirements as practicable.
The group is encouraging the public to review the DA and be “reassured that this is a great step forward for the future protection of Wamberal beach and the suburb behind”.
WPA spokesperson Chris Rogers said committee members had spent two and a half years and thousands of hours preparing the DAs.
“We have been fully focussed on finding the best permanent solution,” Rogers said.
“WPA has spent 2.5 years working on developing the best possible permanent protection and the DA represents the best in engineering design that protects homes, the broader community, makes the existing banks safe and secure, and will mean emergency works will never be required.
“We are now in a position to get the facts on display and people can review it based on its merits, not misinformation.
“Residents have been fighting for over 50 years for the right to protect their own property, just as those homeowners who protect their property from bushfires or floods.
“We should have the right to protect our homes and protect our families.
“We have taken the legal and logical route and we have followed established guidelines.
“We have kept quiet as the misinformation has been spread on social media, but we are happy to tell the real story.”
Rogers said residents had rejected previous options involving revetment walls and their approach was a “hybrid” one which involved natural sand nourishment and a seawall mostly on private property.
“Sand nourishment alone is not a permanent solution; our proposal is made up of both hard and soft solutions,” he said.
“This is a logical and legal process where 95 per cent of the seawall is buried and stepped back on to private property.
“Our vision is on open display for all to see, there are no hidden agendas, it’s not a land grab.”
The project involves 67 homeowners with 65 joining the DA.
“It is very important for the community to understand that this structure is not a one-dimensional wall,” Rogers said.
He said while the WPA is in favour of sand nourishment, sand nourishment alone was not viable due to a lack of available suitable sand and no clear path to provide it.
“Wamberal beach is a closed system where the sand sits offshore then is pushed back onshore with the right tides and swell this has been the case for 100 years,” he said.
“In 2020 there was not one grain of sand on the beach and within two to four months we had 20 to 30 metres of beach back, four or five metres deep, covering the majority of the emergency works, all coming back naturally.”
He said the DA would not change this natural occurrence.
“Every picture that has been placed on social media to date, has been completely fabricated and misleading,” he said.
“The win win solution for the community, the beach and homeowners, is a combination of hard protection – the WPA DA – and soft protection – sand nourishment – when needed.
“It’s a very minimal footprint, the beach will be extended, the dunes will go over the top and fauna will grow over it.
“There’s no argument from anyone that something needs to be done.
“The residents’ proposal is the best design by far and takes into consideration all the issues affecting the beach.
“We’re offering a logical, a legal and a permanent solution which will not ruin the beach.
“People can now have a look at the DA and object on factual grounds, not emotion.
“We have been painted as people we are not; we are not a bunch of horrible people.
“People have been allowed to propagate misinformation on social media, now it’s our turn to come back and say that’s not true, go read the facts.”
Denice Barnes
I think your description of section A C are inaccurate.
Surfers Pde to Calais should be Surfers Pde to Dover Rd
Pacific St to 27 Ocean View Rd doesn’t make sense unless it is the southern end i.e.number 1 Pacific St
I feel if it’s on private property then not to be paid for by ratepayers. I have known about this problem for many many years and if you own a beach front you would be well aware prior to purchase of the risk involved
Good luck Coast Community News dealing with the feedback you are going to get about the misinformation in this article.
As always we welcome helpful feedback from across the community. We have covered this local issue for years, publishing dozens of stories – see them all here – https://coastcommunitynews.com.au/?s=wamberal+seawall
About time. I wish these homeowners all the best in their endeavour and look forward to seeing an end to the rubble and ad hoc protection works and the encapsulation of legacy dumpings of materials containing asbestos. These were found by the EPA in 12 locations in the dune system along the beach after the major 2016 storm event.
Well where do I start. Let’s start with the deceptive artists impression. The vegetation at the base of the seawall will be gone the first king tide, the sand in front of the seawall will be gone the first big swell, the next storm will take away all the sand in front of the seawall up and down the beach. The current DA’s artists impression set has no post storm renders as this would show the public exactly what is going to happen when the sand washes away, these are required according to the EDR. The wall shows no fencing or handrails as these not so aesthetic details may sway public opinion. The DA totally denies sand nourishment will be required yet all evidence points to the fact that vertical and any hard seawalls strip beaches of sand. He forgets to mention that as part of this proposal the surf club carpark and Lett Park and the end of Pacific St will be blocked of for construction storage use for years. Didn’t mention the machinery and truck traffic. And the beach will be a disaster zone for years whilst construction drags on. The misinformation does not come from social media, but the WPA.
The biggest lie “Every picture that has been placed on social media to date, has been completely fabricated and misleading,” he said. There are no fabricated photos on social media only photos of real seawalls and beaches that have been destroyed by the same type of self interested people. This guy has once again insulted everyone’s intelligence.
Should never have built there. If any seawall is to be built,it should be at the back of the dunes, between the houses and the road.
I reside in Wamberal and have taken part in the demonstration regarding “the wall” as was influenced by social media. However after reading this article I am beginning to think it maybe even a benefit to have this man made construction( not “wall”) erected as will protect the beach.
I will view the project in person to make an informed decision and would be interested in attending a forum if one was arranged.
If only half of that was True !!
You must look at what Collaroy was shown before the works started years ago ,Today there is no beach and it’s an eyesore , nothing like the pretty projections it was supposed to look like !
We are not that gullible surely ! Get informed or we are going to be just like Collaroy !
No Beach, Lagoons Flooding 400 residents and so on ! No Wamberal Wall
This photo has been cherry picked. It shows houses that are not on the current DA. These houses have well vegetated frontal dunes & do not need a seawall. The sand dunes protect these properties & the surf club. I know one of the owners in this section & he is dead against the seawall! The dunes in front of these properties & the surf club will be destroyed to make room for a seawall. Volunteer bush care community members look after these beautiful fore dunes! It would be a travesty to destroy the sand dunes. It’s a shame that members of WPA neglect to admit they have existing positive covenants on their deeds they have signed on to revegetate & sand nourish after high tides.
If this is a genuine solution to saving the homes built on the sandunes above the beach, why are so many people against it? Genuine interest question only, & I’m not advocating for any particular faction involved in this? Surely, if residents homes gain protection that is what matters most? Please tell me what the objectives are AND the objections are too?