Anger on Central Coast as beach erosion work begins during wild east coast low

Australia Broadcast Center

20 hours ago

New South Wales Central Coast residents who fear their beachfront homes are on the brink of collapse are frustrated that it has taken a severe weather event for emergency work to be carried out.
Sand was delivered to Wamberal Beach on Tuesday to help mitigate the impacts of raging seas, but locals have claimed it was quickly washed away.
Council workers placed large bags of rocks along the beachfront on Wednesday morning but resident Lisa Kolinac described the lack of preventative action as a type of "slow, consistent torture".
"We've had erosion happening every day here for eight weeks, so all of these residents are sitting in their houses overnight wondering what they're going to wake up to in the morning," she said.
Dozens of people were told to leave their homes on Tuesday as a precaution.
In 2020 Wamberal Beach was hammered by violent swell and some homes partially collapsed.
Ms Kolinac said residents formally appealed to the Central Coast Council seven or eight months ago to take steps to arrest the worsening erosion.
"We're now just seeing a few rock bags and a bit of sand pushed on the beach," she said.
Ms Kolinac also called for an urgent meeting with Premier Chris Minns to discuss the delay in action and expedite a response.
Several residents vented their frustration at a media conference held by council representatives on Wednesday.
Chief executive David Farmer said placing rocks on the beach was an attempt to address the issue in the short-term.
"This is happening due to an emergency situation and this emergency will abate," he said.
"What we need to do is have a medium-term and a long-term fix.
"[Reconstruction work] is a medium-term fix, but we need to work towards a long-term fix with the government and the land owners so that we're not coming back again and again.
"This is an intolerable situation — it is cost on the rate payers, it's obviously stress for the land, for the property owners. It's a very, very difficult situation.
Central Coast Mayor Lawrie McKinna acknowledged the situation was frustrating but said the works required state government approval.
"This is the first time we've actually been allowed to place rocks on the beach — because its an emergency situation, that's why they're on here now," he said.
"We're working with state government to get a solution here.
"It's going back and forward and that's where the frustration is coming [from], because it's taking a while."
A coastal management plan has been approved for public consultation and it is hoped the government will authorise it by the end of the year.
In a statement a NSW government spokesperson told the ABC it a scope of works for protective measures for The Entrance North had been received, but it was waiting for such an outline for Wamberal.
Mr Farmer said those plans were "with the residents at the moment" for review and would be submitted to the government once council secured local agreement.
The government spokesperson said financial and technical support had been provided to the council in the development of the coastal management program.
"These programs identify coastal management issues and actions required to address these issues in a strategic and integrated way," they said.
"We used the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act to declare Wamberal and The Entrance North as a reconstruction area so that council could move quickly.
"They've sent us the proposed scope of works for The Entrance North and we now eagerly await their proposed scope of works for Wamberal."