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.
