North Beach seawall work ready to start but questions asked about how much sand will be lost

Wollongong City Council has confirmed work will begin next month on an extension to the Emma McKeon Promenade which will include construction of a new seawall.

The works have, however, raised questions, with a local geotechnical engineer questioning the quantity of beach that will be lost to accommodate the new wall and the longterm impact on what is arguably Wollongong’s premier beach.

Kourosh Kianfar, managing director of KMK Geotechnics, estimates the new seawall will extend close to 10 metres onto the existing sandy area. As a result, he believes the new wall will take away almost 1000 square metres, or nearly 20 per cent of the beach.

“I believe the opportunity should have been taken to build a stronger wall in the current location, to preserve as much of the beach as possible for the public to use,” Kourosh said.

“With rising sea levels, we really can’t afford to give away so much of the beach. The shoreline position is constantly shifting. In less than 15 years we’ve already lost about 10 metres. At that rate, in 100 years we won’t have any beach left.”

Kourosh said that, based on the changes to the beach’s conditions since construction of stage one of the seawall below the surf club, he's also worried about the impact of the extension of the wall south towards the historic pavilion building.

He believes the entire shape of the beach has been impacted by the stage one works, saying the northern access ramp corner has become a “hot spot for localised scour and sand winnowing because the hard face and ramp geometry can increase reflected wave energy, oscillatory motion, and turbulent return flow during swash/backwash".

Kourosh says the wall’s shape has resulted in huge quantities of rocks being exposed since the stage one works were completed, making the beach a less desirable place to visit.

“My question is what options were considered by council and what assessments were carried out by a multi-disciplined team? Was a strengthening of the current wall considered? This is too big a project not to get it right.”

In a statement, a Council spokesperson said it has undertaken "extensive consultation and engagement with the community and coastal engineering specialists (both private consultants and NSW Government).

“Upgrading/reinforcing the existing wall was not considered a feasible option as it would not achieve the improved levels of public amenity and accessibility to the beach, nor provide the required level of protection from severe storm erosion over the 100-years planning period.

“The design of the stage two sea wall is a continuation of the works undertaken in stage one," the Council spokesperson said.

"This consists of tiered concrete bleachers with a series of stairways linking the promenade to the beach. At the southern extent of the new seawall, adjacent to the bathers’ pavilion, an accessible beach ramp and lowered terraced area will be provided to enhance access for the whole community. Once delivered, the completed seawall will provide increased coastal protection and improved amenity and function of the beach and promenade for the community to enjoy for many years to come."

Lord Mayor Cr Tania Brown said the new works are “far more than aesthetic".

"There is a lot of research and science that has gone into the development of this seawall so it can provide protection for the beach and foreshore against rough seas, storms and the long-term effects of climate change," she said.

“While we will always see the impacts of wild weather on our beaches with the movement of sand exposing rocks or stormwater dumping debris onto the foreshore, the seawall does provide essential protection for the heritage-listed buildings and grassed areas beyond.”

The contract has been awarded to The Civil Experts Pty Ltd who will be on site from late February. The popular North Beach cafe and Diggies will close while the works are underway. The Pavilion cafe will continue to trade.

Cr Brown said: “We all know just how popular the new steps and seawall at the northern end of North Beach have been. They’ve been really well received by the community and we’re heading to the third summer where we’ve had this improvement in place."

The Lord Mayor said while the upcoming works will cause some disruption, access to much of the beach will remain open.

“Our lifeguards will remain on duty year-round at North Wollongong, and people will still be able to enjoy a walk along the Blue Mile – they’ll just need to mind the construction that’s underway to ensure we can all enjoy this gem for many years to come.”