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.
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.
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.