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Auckland Council hopes to repeat this combination of treatments, by Moana Reserve, along the section of Orewa Beach from Kahu Street to Marine View.
The area was severely damaged in a storm in 2013, threatening infrastructure such as the walkway. Council erected a ‘temporary’ rock wall that has been in place ever since.
Next week Council staff will formally present the designs for a more permanent solution, prepared by coastal engineers Tonkin & Taylor, to the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board for endorsement. Provided that endorsement is received, there will be a letter drop to affected residents along the beachfront and public open days to explain the plan and get feedback.
Council expects to lodge a resource consent application for the work in early March, and will request that this be publicly notified so that the wider public can have a say.
Council’s coastal management services team manager, Paul Klinac, says that the design solutions proposed are a response to the way this section of the beach functions. He says that the proposed designs protect the reserve and ensure access – both to private property, and for the public using the beach.
“If we don’t do anything, we will lose that section of reserve and the public won’t be able to walk along that section of the beach at high tide,” he says.
Cost is also a factor in the design – sections of ‘rip rap’ wall, consisting of sloping sections of loose rock, are included because they dissipate wave energy, but also because they cost 3–4 times less than constructing a solid wall.
The masonry and riprap walls are supported with foundations that go lower than the depth of the most severe erosion to date and Mr Klinac says that sea level rise has been factored in.
A restored dune system is proposed for in front of Kinloch Reserve.
Funding for design and public consultation for erosion protection work on this stretch of beach is already secured.
Funding for construction, estimated to be in the vicinity of $5 million, is to be sought when Council prepares its 2016/17 Annual Plan.
Mr Klinac says that the work is one of the biggest priorities in the whole Auckland region, which gives it a strong case for obtaining that funding.
Sand transfer from the southern end of the beach by diggers will continue once the constructions are in place.
Local and sports parks north manager, Martin van Jaarsveld, says this is because it provides a sacrificial buffer against erosion.
