To protect their homes from erosion caused by storms, homeowners have embarked on the construction of a 1.3-km seawall in Collaroy.
As of February 2021, the first of these private works undertaken to protect 10 vulnerable properties is finally underway. The project is part of the 1.3-km seawall proposed from South Narrabeen to Collaroy to protect both private and public assets in the suburb.
Around 80 percent of the cost will be shouldered by the property owners themselves while the remaining 20 percent will be jointly funded by the Northern Beaches Council and the NSW government.
In November 2020, preliminary work on the first section of the seawall already started. Council has built a 250m section of the wall, in front of the public park and ride car park.
Despite having to shoulder hundreds of thousands of dollars to build the seawall, homeowners are delighted to see that the construction is already underway.
According to Council, there are 11 parcels of public land including the Collaroy carpark, South Narrabeen Surf Club, reserves and road ends interspersed between 49 private parcels of land that require protection.
Council will also shoulder the expense of building sections of the sea wall to protect other public property including South Narrabeen Surf Club, reserves and areas where streets end at the beach.
Damaged Properties
In 2016, a number of waterfront properties were damaged by intense storms. Experts believe the damages were mainly caused by the very large waves and tide brought by the storm one weekend in June 2016.
Council understands that it has not been an easy process for residents to get to this point. Locals have been assured of support in navigating the complex legal, planning and financial issues that have arisen. The remaining homeowners are hoping they will be ready to start building by September 2021.
“We are continuing to work with other residents along the strip so they too can begin the works to protect their properties and 29 of the 49 private properties have already had DAs approved and there are currently no DAs with Council awaiting determination,” the Northern Beaches Council stated.
Both the Council and the State Government will be providing subsidy for residents living within the coastline of the Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach to build sea walls.
Over the years, the Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach has been considered as an erosion hotspot. In fact, just last June of 2016 about 50 metres of the beachfront was lost due to the massive storm that hit the area. This erosion also caused a number of severely damaged properties.
Photo credit: www.wrl.unsw.edu.au
Ever since this intense storm incident last 2016, residents have been continuously pleading for support and funding from the council and the state in order for them to build a massive sea wall.
The sea wall will serve as protection and also a precedent for coastal communities who are highly at risk from the rising sea levels brought by the storms due to climate change.
Here is a drone footage of the destruction along Collaroy captured by the coastal monitoring team of the UNSW Water Research Laboratory:
Approved Funding
Just last March of 2019, the Northern Beaches Council succeeded in convincing the State Government to chip in on the assistance package to be given to Collaroy residents for the construction of the sea wall.
The total contribution of both the Council and the State is $3.46 million, which is 20 percent of the total cost of construction. This means that each of the affected 49 properties within Pittwater Road and back on to Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach north of the surf club will receive an estimated amount of $25,000 for assistance. Given this amount of subsidy, the remaining 80 percent of the cost will be shouldered by the property owners themselves.
Experts say that sea walls are and will only be effective if they are coordinated and built using high-quality materials. Now with a 20 percent subsidy, the construction of strong sea walls can easily be accomplished.
Photo credit: DO’Neil/ Wikimedia Commons
Apart from the assistance package, the Northern Beaches Council will also soon begin the construction of a 250-metre sea wall in front of the Collaroy car park.
Other beaches who are also at risk of coastal erosion within the Northern Beaches area include Bilgola and Basin Beach at Mona Vale. Both are also subject to coastal zone management plans.
Now that the Northern Beaches Council was successful in garnering support from the State Government in funding sea walls at Collaroy, Councilor Regan further believes that in the coming years more and more local governments will also do the same measures as a response to the climate coastal erosion.
Are you looking for a fun and exciting school holiday workshop for your kids this April? Well, you are in luck because Bricks 4 Kidz at Collaroy is offering different Lego and robotics workshops for children ages 5 to 11.
With Bricks 4 Kidz’s unique models and Imaginative Play, kids will surely have a blast at all the activities prepared for them by their enthusiastic Bricks 4 Kidz instructors.
Children do not only get to play, but they also learn basic and introductory coding and programming skills given by the Bricks 4 Kidz’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Focused workshops.
All activities provided are engaging and fun since they are inspired by the LEGO Movie, Ninjas, Superheroes, MineCraft, Harry Potter, and other classic arcade games that will surely be enjoyed by everyone.
Here is a list of workshops provided by the Bricks 4 Kidz Collaroy:
Emmett’s Awesome Adventures (inspired by the LEGO® movies!)
Photo credit: www.bricks4kidz.com.au
This workshop is happening on the 15th and 16th of April 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
At this workshop, kids ages 5 and above get to build and play with their own motorized models, 3D figure models and mosaics inspired by the characters of the Lego Movie. The children also get to take home their own models at the end of the workshop. Click here for more details about Emmett’s Awesome Adventures.
Introductory MINDSTORMS® EV3 Robotics 101
Photo credit: www.bricks4kidz.com.au
This workshop is scheduled on 17-18 April 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 9 and above, this workshop will allow students to to directly incorporate a series of commands on their intelligent bricks using sensor and software programming. By adding a bit of programming, the robotic bricks get to move an object, detect colours, and more!
At the end of the workshop, participants get to bring home their own newly built models.
Click here for more details about the Introductory Mindstorms EV3 Robotics 101.
Ninjas v. Superheros
Photo credit: www.bricks4kidz.com.au
This workshop is happening on 23-24 April 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
On the first day of the workshop, children will get to create their own fantasy world using Lego bricks.
On the second day, these children will enter the world of Lego Nnjago and compete in a Spinjitzu tournament by building their own motorised models and spinners using the Bricks 4 Kidz model kits.
This workshop is open to children ages 5 and above. At the end of the workshop, participants get to bring home their own newly built models.
Click here for more details about Ninjas v. Superheros.
Junior Robotics 101
Photo credit: www.bricks4kidz.com.au
The Junior Robotics 101 workshop offers children the fun side of building their own Lego bricks with the challenge of software coding in order for their models to move.
This workshop serves as an introduction into computer programming and robotics that will inspire and help the participants to equipped and succeed in a technology-driven environment.
The Junior Robotics 101 workshop is happening on 17 April 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. This workshop is suitable for children ages 7 and above. Also, kids get to take home their own models at the end of the workshop. Click here to know more about the Junior Robotics 101.
Intermediate Junior Robotics 201
Photo credit: www.bricks4kidz.com.au
The Intermediate Junior Robotics 201 workshop provides children a more challenging workshop by adding sensors on their own built models.
New and exciting models to build also awaits for those who wish to join this workshop. This workshop is definitely a must-join for any budding programmer.
The Intermediate Junior Robotics 201 workshop is happening on 18 April 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. This workshop is open for children ages 7 and above. Participants of the Bricks 4 Kids Junior Robotics 101 are also welcome to attend this intermediate class.
At the end of the workshop, participants get to bring home their own newly built models.
Click here for more details about the Intermediate Junior Robotics 201.
Wizards & Witchcraft (inspired by Harry Potter)
Photo credit: www.bricks4kidz.com.au
The Wizards and Witchcraft workshop is happening on 26 April 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
At this workshop, children get to build incredible models inspired by Harry Potter. The models included for this workshop are flying broomstick, golden winged balls, giant spiders, magical owl, and even your favourite wizard.
This workshop is open to kids ages 5 and above. Also, kids get to take home their own models at the end of the workshop.
Click here to know more about the Wizards and Witchcraft workshop.
Classic Arcade Games
Photo credit: www.bricks4kidz.com.au
The Classic Arcade Games workshop is happening on 29 April 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
At this workshop, kids get to build different famous arcade game character models. This activity is suitable for kids ages 5 and above.
At the end of the workshop, participants get to bring home their own newly built brick models.
Click here for more details about the Classical Arcade Games workshop.
The Northern Beaches Council has given initial approval to the redevelopment of a new clubhouse at Long Reef Beach in Collaroy. Following years of deliberation and meetings between members of the Long Reef SLSC and council officials, an agreement has been reached with regards the $6 million renovation project.
The submission of the development application (DA) will be filed in May 2019. Once filed, the Northern Beaches Council anticipates that construction will start by April 2020.
The Long Reef SLSC worked with architects and designers, conducted consultations with the community, and prepared reports to get this project underway. In January 2019, the club presented a full report with inputs from the following groups below to gain a Council endorsement:
However, the Council also asked for an alternative concept design for the new Long Reef SLSC clubhouse following an objection from a small percentage of the community, which did not like the original configurations. Concerns were raised regarding the building’s height, the lack of an enclosed courtyard, and the addition of community lockers.
Over 500 people shared their comments and opinions about the new clubhouse’s design. At least 96 percent agreed that the redevelopment is due.
“Northern Beaches Council voted to ALLOW the construction on a new clubhouse to commence in April 2020,” a statement read on the Long Reef SLSC Facebook page. “This is a fantastic result that we had all been working towards, and look forward to being apart of the next chapter of Longy!”
Photo credit: The Beach Club Collaroy/ Facebook
The Beach Club Collaroy offers a modern Australian beach-grill dining experience with a wide range of premium wines and cocktails for members and guests to enjoy.
Know more about the weekly events happening at The Beach Club Collaroy.
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