Three hundred bollards are to be placed along the Manly beachfront, reducing parking spaces.
Residents raised the issue of cars parking along the eastern part of the beachfront between trees damaging the dunes and tree roots, and Auckland Council is installing the bollards in response.
At a Hibiscus and Bays Local Board workshop on September 23, staff from Council’s Community Facilities team told members that timber bollards, rather than rocks or recycled posts, will be used to reduce the cost. The cost of installing the 300 bollards is $35,000. This includes traffic and project management and arborist supervision.
At the workshop, staff suggested that members “brace themselves” for a public backlash about the lost parking.
Work is expected to begin, subject to alert levels, before summer.
Hatfields Beach is also to get bollards to prevent vehicles driving onto the reserve. Local residents raised the negative impacts of people driving on the reserve last year (HM December 16, 2020). The estimated cost of this work is $37,000.
The local board was assured there will still be room for trailer parking at Hatfields, along the reserve edge. Some bollards and chains can also be removed to allow more parking.
Work at Hatfields Beach will begin when Alert Levels allow.
