Radical options for Castlecliff Beach

SOME radical options for Wanganui's beach front at Castlecliff are being considered by the Wanganui District Council but final decisions won't happen without community consultation and probably for a year at least.
Council has a consent from Horizons Regional Council to push 5000 cubic metres of sand into the tide each year in a bid to groom the beach to make it appealing to swimmers and sunbathers. That consent is live until December 2009.
Yesterday the community development committee met to discuss the management of Castlecliff Beach and looked at options for future sand management on the foreshore in a report prepared by Lachie Grant of Land Vision Ltd.
A councillors workshop earlier this month considered Mr Grant's report as well as reports from a meeting of Castlecliff groups and with Department of Conservation officers earlier this year.
Mr Grant's report included five options: n Removing logs and debris from the beach front only. n Removing logs and sand between the concrete wall in front of the present carpark and the high tide mark. n Clean the beach but build sand traps using fences to trap sand before it reaches the carpark. n Form a low foredune between the existing carpark and the beach. n Do nothing.
Mr Grant favoured the idea of a foredune. It would cost about $40,000 over a three-year period.
Council officers estimate that continuing with the current "grooming" programme will cost about $80,000 a year.
This includes $8000 to push 5000 cubic metres of sand back into the sea, clear driftwood ($5000) and clear the carparks ($67,000). Short-term repairs the sand barrier in front of the carpark would cost another $70,000.
The council's workshop looked at another option ? building a new carpark closer to the water similar to the Morgan St carpark. Depending on the number of parks required officers reckon this will cost $2300 per carpark.
The committee recommended that council seek to have the amount of sand moved each year increased to 10,000 cubic metres, allowing for more effective maintenance.
Lifesavers have expressed concerns that as the beach front has widened, it has created a deeper channel and more hazardous swimming area.
Committee member Cr Barbara Bullock said she had reservations about what was being considered for the beach and council's legal position.
"And the lifeguards are saying the number using the beach is falling and we haven't seen any more use of the beach this season even though we have groomed it," Cr Bullock said.
Cr Nicki Higgie, committee chair, said looking at the options in the coming year would give council a chance to properly gauge use of the beach.
"This council has an obligation to make the beach usable, especially for the Castlecliff residents," she said.
Cr Sue Westwood said any planned work would have to be considered in the annual planning process.
"But we also have two plans, neither of which is fully operational. These are the Castlecliff coastal reserve plan and Horizons coastal management plan and both of these have to be aligned," Cr Westwood said.
She said council had to work with the "process" so people had the chance to make their submissions. Shaun Forlong, the rural community board representative on the committee, said he had doubts about the options put forward.
first storm we're back to square one. And it seems a bit silly to spend all that money at a beach which isn't as popular as Mowhanau," he said.
The committee has recommended that council notifies Horizons Regional Council that it is investigating options for Castlecliff Beach; that council complete its investigations into the beach and coastal reserve management options by mid-2008; and that council work with the regional council to ensure the implementation of both the Castlecliff coastal reserve management plan and the Horizons coastal reserve management plan.