There has been some erosion of the dune face at various points along the beach due to recent swell activity, mostly in the area located between The Esplanade, St Clair and the Moana Rua Road, St Kilda. Contractors have been instructed to remove overhanging sections of dune in areas where the face has been eroded to prevent clay capping material from falling onto the beach. Due to a lowering of sand levels, the stairway from the gravel track between the St Clair seawall and the tennis courts has been closed and the lower sections removed. This section of track may also be at risk of erosion during a predicted storm event and therefore will be closely monitored and repair works arranged where necessary. A report outlining the Project Team's preferred management options for the long term coastal protection of Ocean Beach and requesting approval to publicly consult on these options is being presented to the Community Development Committee on 7th September.
The public will be asked to have their say as the Dunedin City Council considers plans to combat erosion at Middle Beach that could lead to a "managed retreat" from the area.
Councillors at yesterday's council community development committee agreed to consult the public on a draft Ocean Beach management plan prepared by consultant Tonkin and Taylor.
The draft plan covered an area stretching 4km from St Clair to Lawyers Head and includes Middle Beach, where serious erosion occurred following severe storms in 2007.
The report recommended continuing the council's holding pattern of monitoring and sand replenishment work - put in place following the 2007 storms - in the meantime.
However, the report also canvassed 13 longer-term options and recommended a managed retreat from Middle Beach and Kettle Park, or construction of an inland buried backstop wall to protect the area, over the next 10 to 50 years.
Initial estimates showed the work could cost between $8 million and $19 million, including a clean-up of the old landfill underneath Kettle Park at risk of being further exposed by continued erosion.
Council community and recreation services manager Mick Reece said he hoped consultation could be completed by the end of this year, with recommendations that followed considered as part of next year's long-term plan hearings.
Detailed information gathered by the council's Ocean Beach project team would also be made public through the council's website to aid the consultation process, he said.
