Residents in the Lake Cathie area believe that because they have worked hard to get their houses, right across from the beach and that the council allowed this land to be built on many years ago, that it’s the council’s responsibility to protect their houses. Local shopkeepers rely on the locals and tourists to visit their shops. If the beach continues to be washed away and the street becomes inaccessible to the beach, people would stop going to the shops and if they wait too long people may have to close their business. | Environmentalists believe that there have been many poor decisions made in the past in regards to how this area along Illaroo road and Chepana street is managed. The council needs to consult with specialists and think through the many scenarios, before they rush into action that would create any further problems. They need to find a strategy that works in harmony with the dynamic nature of the coastal environment. While you are sympathetic to the plight of the residents, building a sea wall will create even further erosion as it increases the power of the waves actions. |
The most appropriate option to resolve this issue would be the revetment wall and beach nourishment. Because although the planned retreat would have been better for the environment and would have meant that the beach would still look like a beach, it is better for the people to build the wall. Although, the residents should have to pay some sort of fee because, they would have been aware that their houses would beat risk of erosion.
