The long awaited seawall at Castlepoint to protect the crumbling coastline is complete. It's now up to nature to let it settle and for several side issues to be sorted out.
A detailed report to council by special projects engineer, Ian Steer said these include the final width of the grass berms, whether a footpath can be included eventually and safe access being included for horses during the annual horse races.
The original resource consent allowed for a 10 metre wide berm but along the way it was agreed this could be narrowed to allow the seawall to follow the natural curve of the coastline. Beach residents are concerned that it is not wide enough in places to allow for picnic and car parking. There have even been suggestions that a path could be constructed along the top of the wall. There will be four sets of stairs with handrails also built on the wall.
One thing the wall won't include is ramp access to the beach. This has caused concern for the Castlepoint Racing Club questioning safe access for horses on race days.
It has been agreed that a concrete landing will be constructed from the edge of the road over the flat section of the seawall and a short way down the sloping face. On race days, the club will place fill material in and over the remaining boulders.
Planners suggested no permanent beach access to stop vehicles being tempted onto the beach and to stop waves breaking into the wall.
The $800,000 seawall is nearly 3m tall and features layers of polyester geo-textile matting laid beneath the rocks called bidim. This allows the flow of tidal water but prevents the loss of sand from the bank. Around 8,500 tonnes of Taipo quarry rock from Tinui, some weighing up to two tonnes each, now stretch from Guthrie Crescent to the Castlepoint store.
$800,000 Castlepoint seawall complete, side issues still being considered
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